Transcendance
by Fmafanclub
Summary: Necromancy has tempted many men to unholy roads. Ronan is now an Archmage, but when he sees this unconscious bandit in front of his home, he gives in to the temptations wholeheartedly. Manipulating the poor man's soul, his experiences will take an unexpected turn when he succeeds in making the perfect slave... (Writing paused)
1. Chapter 1: How it all began

Some time had passed since Ronan met with Malyn Varen, and never did any of the mad sorcerer's work interest him. He was the Arch-mage of Winterhold, and as far as his authority could go, he now had a reputation to maintain. He tried to forget about his past attempts at necromancy, so that no one would ever find out about it. However, all changed during this one night…

It was almost a year ago that Ronan was captured while trying to pass the borders of Skyrim, looking for adventure, and was almost put to death. When the dragon attacked, his destiny took a serious turn, for he had to save the world. The journey was rough, the enemies and trials numerous, but he was the dragonborn, the chosen one. His early interest in magic proved to be useful, for it was with magic that he slayed the World Eater in Sovngarde. Thankfully, he had journeyed to the college of Winterhold, where, caught up in another series of event, he had become Arch-mage. Since he was powerful, rich, and acclaimed all over Skyrim, he decided to retire from adventuring for some time, and settled himself in a nice mansion he built himself, where he had calm, a relaxing view of the lake far below, and many books to bury himself into all day.

But one calm night came banging. Ronan was immediately woken up. He grabbed his staff, looking for the source of the sudden noises. Closing in to the door, he asked the intruders:

"-Who are you and what is your business here?

-Robbery! Open the damn door right now and perhaps we will not kill you!"

A faint laugh came out of the sorcerer's mouth. Obviously these bandits had no idea who it is they were trying to rob. The bandits barely had the time to hear a Fus and a Ro that they were thrown right unto the ground. Now with a clear view on the trespassers, Ronan approached them, starting to summon a Daedra soldier. One bandit came back to his feet and plunged on the sorcerer. Blocking with his staff, Ronan maintained the blocking until the Daedra lunged his battle axe in the bandit's back. With a single blow he fell on the floor, blood spattering below him. Quickly looking in the second bandit's direction, Ronan noticed the latter was still on the floor, completely still. Before his Daedra servant could execute the unconscious man, Ronan felt merciful and cast him away. While approaching him, however, a thought sprout into his mind.

For an Arch-mage specialized in Conjuration, avoiding necromancy was difficult. The powerful art was constantly tempting him every time he saw a still body. So when he saw that unconscious bandit, far from any city, so close to his home, the temptation grew too strong for the sorcerer to resist. He hauled the body inside his mansion, using illusions to make sure he stays unconscious, all the way the basement. His mind was racing with naughty ideas…

 **Hello reader! Thank you for taking the time to read this! It is my first time writing a fanfiction, and I am yet not sure at all where this one is leading. So I would really appreciate if you could tell me what you think, as to make my first experience as nice as possible!**


	2. Chapter 2: Preparations

Narrating

 _Ronan taking notes_

His heart was racing. The unconscious bandit was quite heavy, as he was fully equipped, except for his sword, which was still lying next to his friend's corpse. When he reached the trapdoor to the basement on the other side of his house, the excitement was at its peak. Slowly opening the trapdoor, he noticed the body would be too heavy for him to carry it down without making it fall. He began to strip down the man, starting with his leather armor. That's when he first really noticed the man's long tail, and slow breathing.

Surprised by the latter, he let go of him, making a moderately loud stomping sound. Thankfully, the man was still knocked out. Casting another wave of illusion, to make sure he wouldn't wake up soon, he took off the man's gauntlets, and slowly slid him off of his armor. The Khajiit was now top naked, revealing its furry body. Timidly, Ronan stripped the rest of his clothes, except for the loincloth. Now embarrassed, Ronan lifted the man to his shoulder, and went down to the basement.

As soon as he got one foot on the ground, the Arch-mage took off the Khajiit and noticed that he had no idea where to put the bandit. Thankfully, he had the time and money to fully furnish every room of his home decently. He reached the table in the center of the room and started to move everything that was on it someplace else and put his prisoner on it. He then quickly ran upstairs to his storage room, where he found ropes. He also went to his bedroom for a handkerchief and grabbed a few potions from his alchemy stand on the way back.

As he approached the man with a dozen ropes, he heard a faint grunting noise from him. Thinking fast, he reached in his pouch for a stamina poison, and tried to extend the unconscious state of the prisoner while making him drink the poison. His hands trembling, he then reached for the ropes and started to attach the man to the table. After he made three knots to five knots with each rope, he didn't feel very satisfied with the safety of his installation, but he already had other ideas in his head.

He made a final trip upstairs, now going through his little library for all necromancy related writings, while also grabbing some food, potions, things to write on, and settled on a smaller table next to his prisoner. He got his blank booklet out, and started writing.

 _Necromancy Experiments_

 _Ronan, Arch-mage of Winterhold_

…


	3. Chapter 3: Procedures

Narrating

 _Ronan taking notes_

His mind was going all directions. One side of him was telling him that this was all a bad idea, while the rest was thinking about all the things he could do with a live testing subject. He started writing out the ideas unto his notebook.

 _-Degree of the body's state at which the soul is absorbed by a soul stone_

Pretty useless, and a small error could simply waste the chance. However this question reminded him that he gave poison to his prisoner, so he got up and examined the latter.

His face was fixed with a slightly pained expression, twisting the corners of his mouth into a frown. His whiskers were long, and his nose enormous. His fur was yellowish, with dark stripes on his head. The pattern was the same for the rest of his body, except for his torso and his mouth, which were mostly white. Ronan had some good Restoration skills, but wondered if fully healing the Khajiit would wake him up. Just in case, he reached for his mouth, opened it and placed the handkerchief he grabbed so that he would make less noise, and couldn't bite his tongue. Lifting his head, he made a knot as to make sure it would stay on. He then proceeded to heal the Khajiit softly, hovering his hands over his chest.

The prisoner had stopped frowning, but Ronan could feel that he was starting to regain consciousness. Sure enough, several seconds later, the Khajiit slowly opened his eyes, and both started to panic. Ronan stepped back, wondering what he should do as the prisoner was rustling, trying to free himself off of the ropes. As he had strong illusion skills, he cast his harmony spell, hoping it would calm the prisoner down. It seemed to work as the bandit stopped struggling. However, this spell is very mana-consuming, so he didn't have much time to think of something to do before the bandit would manage to free himself. Quickly going through the book he wrote, he noticed an artifact that never really caught his attention: Azura's Star.

It was several months ago that he visited Azura's altar near Winterhold, and went in search for the star. In a dungeon full of conjurers he had found the star, next to a skeleton. Going inside the star, he remembers his conversation with its occupant, Malyn Varen. The exiled sorcerer was trying to become immortal by trapping his own soul into the star, but he couldn't reach back to his body, and needed souls to stay alive in his little realm. However, Ronan was told by Nelacar, after he gave back the star, that it could now absorb sentient souls. Did it mean that he could now reach immortality, if following the mad sorcerer's steps?

Trying not to go too far, Ronan cast a last harmony spell before writing down his experiment.

 _-Study of the soul capture of a sentient being._

He grabbed the star, which was lying amongst the books. It was dark grey and dark purple; with the latter being an assortment of what appeared to be black soul gems. The star had 8 twisted branches, with a couple of rare purple stones in its middle. He got up, still studying the artifact, and stood next to the Khajiit. His prisoner was looking up, looking terrified but calm at the same time. He wasn't moving an inch, which allowed Ronan to think clearly.

How did Malyn manage to capture his own soul into the star? Normally, a soul gem is filled when the soul leaves the corpse, when the body ceases to function. That would explain the skeleton he saw next to the star, but can you call "being trapped in a star for an eternity" immortality? His memory brought up another discussion he had with Nelacar. The former apprentice told him that pulling back one's soul into his body would be easy, if the link between his corpse and his soul is not broken. But how could he know that, if Malyn himself broke the link? Ronan decided that he would try to answer all of these questions at once with his experiment. He went back to his notes, and wrote:

 _-Study of the link between a soul and its body_

He approached the bandit with the star, wondering if it could capture a soul without killing the host, or rather harming its body. He took the star and pressed it unto the Khajiit's forehead. After several seconds, nothing happened, so he lifted the star up, leaving him and the prisoner perplexed. Obviously, he thought, the star wasn't going to absorb a healthy man's soul so easily. Does he need to be unconscious? Hurt? Ronan reached for the several potions he brought and chose one of the deadliest poisons he had available. He took the star and put it on the Khajiit's torso.

Not really sure how he should make him drink the poison, Ronan simply poured the fluid in the handkerchief, which seemed like a good idea, as the bandit wouldn't get too poisoned constantly still. As soon as the fluid went down, the Khajiit, started grunting and moving. Not sure about what he should do, Ronan simply tried to make him stay put, as the poison slowly consumed him. The grunts slowly grew into muffled shrieks, and he was struggling harder. However, after a minute or so, he seemed tired, and he had a pained expression. At this point, the star started shining. Ronan noticed that, and immediately started healing the prisoner softly. The light on the star faded away, however, and the bandit was breathing heavily, still looking in all directions, desperate. Ronan then stopped healing, waiting for the light to appear again, several seconds later. The sorcerer waited a little before healing the Khajiit, hoping it would capture him without killing him. The poison still affecting the prisoner, he slowly closed his eyes, until a small flash came from the star. With good timing, Ronan healed him. The room was now very silent, except for the spell, which emitted a slow, soothing sound. After some time, Ronan stopped. He looked at the star, which shined a little, probably filled with the bandit's soul. He then moved his face close to the Khajiit: he was still breathing.


	4. Chapter 4: A successful Experiment

Narrating

 _Ronan taking notes_

 _-Study of the soul capture of a sentient being, using the Black Star of Azura_

 _-Study of the link between a soul and its body_

 _Test Subject: Unknown Khajiit, adult male_

 _Procedure:_

 _-Use a poison to slowly drain the subject's life, so that the star can capture his soul_

 _-Heal the body to make sure it is still alive, and to preserve the link between the soul and the body_

 _Conclusion:_

 _Body is still functioning; the star seems to have captured the subject's soul._

Ronan was considering what should be the next step. He was sure that he was going to try and put the soul back into its body, but he felt like that would be kind of a waste of effort. He remembered that, when he fought Malyn, the mad sorcerer had Dremora servants and spells to defend himself, but the Khajiit probably doesn't even have any sword to fight with. Also, Ronan could still summon Dremora servants himself, and he could also remember having his pouch along with all of his potions. Are items materialized into the star? Can you enter and leave the star safely? He knows that the star cannot house more than one soul at a time, so the fact that he managed to enter and leave it unharmed must mean that it's easy and possible.

Ronan wasn't a very skilled enchanter, but knows that souls contained inside soul gems used in enchanting are somehow modified; you indeed modify the soul to add an enchantment to weapons and clothes. You're also not using the soul's magicka energy to make enchantments, or else animals' souls wouldn't be usable in enchanting. Ronan concluded that you can modify a soul inside a soul gem, and quite easily. He started writing again.

 _-Study of the ability to modify a captured soul_

 _-Study of the transit through the star_

This experiment seemed even more random than the last one to Ronan, as he had no idea how he was going to try and modify the soul. He's not a good enchanter, but an excellent illusionist, so he might be able to modify the soul inside the star, if he manages to immobilize "it".

Ronan grabbed the rest of the ropes he had left, which were only 5. He brought his chair next to the Khajiit. His breathing was slow and deep, and his whole body completely still, along with a blank expression on his face. Ronan prepares himself for the "procedure", and tries to remember how he got in and out of the star. Apart from his conscience, it didn't seem like there was any other option. He inhaled, closed his eyes, and holding the star, told himself to enter it.

…

The feeling was the same as last time. He felt sucked in to the star, and a second later, he was in its realm. When he opened his eyes, the strong light hurt him a little. He blinked several times, before opening them wide. He was still on a chair, but without the star. The Khajiit was on the other side of the star, crouched down, only wearing his loincloth. When Ronan called him, he quickly turned his head, then got up and ran at him, looking furious. Ronan reacted quickly, summoning a Dremora servant. He avoided the Khajiit's punch, and ordered his soldier to trap him on a side without hurting him. When he was cornered, Ronan told him to sit on the chair, and to not move. The bandit reluctantly sat down, looking more frightened than ever. Pulling the ropes he brought out of his pouch, Ronan laced him on the chair, his Dremora soldier intimidating the Khajiit into submission. When he was sure his prisoner couldn't move anymore, he wasn't so sure about what he should do now, so he just placed his hands on the man's head.

Right over the Khajiit's head were what appeared to be white fumes, which would turn into memories as Ronan touched it. His childhood, in the warm sands of Elsweyr. His journey to the cold lands of Skyrim. His begging for money in the streets of Whiterun. His first, second, then all of his robberies. The first life he claimed. And finally, Ronan draining his soul.

The sorcerer could feel the flow in his hands, and could move things around, change them, or make them disappear. He located the memory of the bandit banging on his door, his hands on it, and it was gone when he opened them. He proceeded to wipe out most of the memories, if not all of them. The few he left, he modify them to be orders. "You only live to serve Ronan". In a matter of minutes, and without realizing it completely, the sorcerer had erased the Khajiit's memory completely, leaving only what he "needed". When he was done, Ronan stepped back, and started to untie the ropes one by one. However, the bandit wasn't struggling anymore, and when the last rope was lessened, he remained silently on the chair.

Satisfied with how the experiment was going so far, Ronan grabbed the ropes, closed his eyes, and told himself to leave the star. "Success", he told himself.


	5. Chapter 5: The Lies and the Memories

Narrating

 _Ronan taking notes_

" **Narrating in speech** "

 _-Study of the ability to modify a captured soul_

 _-Study of the transit through the star_

 _Results: It seems the star allows non-captured souls to come and go through the star._

 _You can modify the memories of the captured soul by placing your hand on the soul's head inside the star._

 _-Study of the ability to return one's captured soul into its body_

The artifact was still on the table as Ronan wrote down the results of his twisted experiments. It is quite usual for mages to fail their experiments, from what he experienced in books or in the college. Everything was going exactly the way he thought, and so he wanted to write any information he discovered. The power of the artifact still impressed him.

He put his quill down and looked at the Khajiit. It was still breathing, immobile and silent. He got up grabbed the star, and approached the body. However, once again, he had no clue as to how the artifact was supposed to function. Nelacar did suppose that giving back the body its soul should be possible, but how? He looked at the artifact, then at the body, and sarcastically pressed the star to the Khajiit's forehead. Only, this time, a flash came, and the star stopped shining. Surprised, Ronan took a few steps back. He examined the body, it wasn't moving. However, several seconds later, he opened his eyes, looked around, then at Ronan.

"-Hello. Are you Ronan?

 **The sorcerer was baffled. He was talking, sentient, and not aggressive. Did it really fully work?**

-Hum… Yes. What is your name?

-I… don't have a name.

 **The Khajiit seemed perplexed. Ronan thought that it probably was because he completely forgot to give him any necessary information. However, he could remember the Khajiit's name as he wiped it out of his memories. However, since he couldn't possibly tell him that, he feigned ignorance.**

-What do you mean, you do not have one?

-I… can't remember anything… How did I even end up here?

-It appeared you fell down from somewhere. I spotted your body, while wandering outside of my house. You seemed to have got a nasty blow to your head. Thankfully, I am a skilled mage, and I was able to fully heal you.

-Oh. And why am I tied to this table, Master Ronan?

 **Ronan noticed how he suddenly called him "Master", and could not think of a reason except that his memories were starting to really take effect.**

-I thought you might have been a bandit, so I wanted to make sure I would be safe. But I think I can free you now.

-Thank you master. Do you think you can give me a name, master?

 **The changes were fast, and surprised Ronan.**

-Oh! Hum… Since you are a Khajiit, I should give you a Khajiit name, like… Kharara.

-Kharara."

Ronan began to untie the ropes, and when he was done, the Khajiit rose up, but didn't move from the table. When Ronan had finished packing up his stuff, Kharara was still on sitting up.

"-Are you coming, Kharara?

-Yes, Master Ronan."

At once, Kharara got up, and stood next to Ronan, who started to feel a bit uneasy. He took his bag, walked to the basement's entrance, and started climbing up. However, as he reached the top, he noticed that the armor he stripped off of the Khajiit was still here, probably along with his friend's corpse. Panicking a bit, Ronan turned to Kharara, who was starting to climb too.

"-Hum, sorry! Things are kind of a mess up there! Can you just stay here and eat some food while I tidy everything up and grab clothes for you?

-Of course, Master."

The both of them went back down, and Ronan reached for his bag nervously, pulling out some apples for the Khajiit. He told him to stay here until he comes back with some clothes, and left.

Ronan nervously grabbed the man's armor, and put it in his storage room, along with the other armors he collected during his adventures. He then ran outside, where the corpse was still here, blood still splattered all around it. Giving a small gasp, he thought about the best way to deal with this situation. After some thinking, he simply cast a resurrecting spell. The body rose up, and grunted once, before Ronan cast it away. The body consumed itself, and only dust remained after a few seconds. The wind would take care of the rest, except for the blood, which was still on the ground, into the soil. However, he knew he could tell Kharara that it was his blood.

Going back into the house, Ronan went to his bedroom, and took out some expensive coats he didn't like to wear, and went back down to the basement. There, Kharara was sitting, waiting for him to come back. Thankfully he didn't read the book that was in the bag, Ronan thought. The Khajiit had eaten both apples, and put on the clothes Ronan brought him when he gave it to him. However, as he saw Kharara standing in front of him, a new question appeared in his mind.

And now, what?


	6. Chapter 6: The Faithful Servant

Narrating

 _Ronan taking notes_

'' **Narrating during conversations** ''

Ronan and Kharara climbed out of the basement and into the back of the house. Ronan still felt quite nervous, as for him, the experiment was not over yet. The bandit could still regain his memories, or see some clues about the real situation. Indeed, Kharara calm yet curious, gazing all around him, for the house, smells and pretty much everything was new to him. When they were both standing next to the trapdoor, Ronan still wasn't so sure what he was going to do now. He had erased the man's memories without thinking so much about it. To him, he was merely testing the extent of the artifact's power. However, he now had a complete stranger in his home, a stranger that was somehow tied to him. He decided that he would just watch how things go, and think about that later, when everything was settled.

"-Should I show you around my house, Kharara?

-I would love to, Master."

One thing was sure, though. He had complete control over the man he "made".

The both of them spent the next twenty minutes around the small mansion, during which Ronan's concern faded, as the Khajiit stayed calm and with a peaceful expression the whole time. It was still dark outside, and both were quite tired, although neither of them really realized that. When Ronan had finished showing every room to Kharara, they were in front of the entrance door. Seeking any remaining will inside the Khajiit, Ronan asked him:

"-So… What should we do now?

-It is your choice entirely, Master.

-Don't you want to try and find what happened to you? Or someone that might know?

-I only wish to serve you, Master."

Kharara's expression was completely innocent, without any trace of sarcasm, pain, or remorse. Ronan had created the most faithful follower he could ever think of. Now, new ideas were starting to flow in his mind. Simple servant or personal guard? Repeating the experience? Creating an army of mindless drones? This last thought made him realize that he had gone a little too far already, and that he probably shouldn't ever think about doing this again. However, he knew he wasn't going to get rid of Kharara. After all, no one could know what happened here, and hopefully no one ever will. He had broken a man to make him his servant, and he wasn't going to waste the effort he put into doing so. Actually, he was going to take full advantage of the situation, and explore all the uses of Kharara he could think of. However, he noticed that he had been standing there in silence for several seconds already, and that Kharara was raising an eyebrow.

"Hum, well! I suppose you should at least spend the night here. I have several bedrooms upstairs for you to use. Are you still hungry?

-No, Master. Thank you, Master."

The "Master" was still a little disturbing for Ronan, but he climbed up, followed by Kharara, and showed him his bedroom, right next to his. Still uncomfortable with the situation, he left with a "Good night", grabbed his bag, the notebook he used earlier, and a quill.

 _-Study of the ability to return one's captured soul into its body_

 _Procedure: Simply place the front of the star on the soul's body's forehead._

 _-Kharara_

Ronan started writing the Khajiit's name, but quickly realized he had no idea what to write next. He also realized that this notebook wasn't particularly useful either. After all, he wanted to make sure no one would ever try to replicate what he just did this night. Thankfully, some parts of the procedure required some skills, especially in Illusion spells. You would also need to have the star, to know what it does and how it does. Besides Ronan, the only person that would almost be capable of following the procedures would be… Nelacar? Ronan started to remember how he went inside the star and defeat Malyn. He could clearly remember Nelacar casting a spell. "Killing you, but not entirely" was how Ronan was transported inside the star. Thankfully, the only reason the transit was blocked that day back then was because of the barriers Malyn created inside the star. However, that also meant that Nelacar knew a spell that could accelerate the whole process. The fact that Nelacar possessed such a spell was shocking to Ronan. Although… he also wondered about the new possibilities that such a spell could allow him to explore. But should he simply ask for the spell? Wouldn't that be suspicious?

The night was almost over, though, and Ronan barely had any sleep. A yawn disturbed his thoughts, and decided that he would worry about all of that after a good sleep. He put out the bedroom's candles, and went to sleep.

When Ronan woke up, he could hear a stomping sound. It was a little distant, but it appeared every ten seconds or so. He got up, put on his robe, and checked on Kharara's bedroom. It was empty. Surprised and frightened, Ronan ran to the stairs, and to the entrance; it was already very bright outside, so it was at least late in the morning. When he opened the door, he turned to face what was making the noise: Kharara, simply chopping wood. As Ronan still had a frightened look on his face, Kharara felt surprised, too.

"-Is there something wrong, Master?

-No, hum… What are you doing?

-Chopping some more wood. Your stock was quite low, and the cold is unbearable hear, Master.

-Oh, alright. You can stop. We're going to have, uh… breakfast.

-I have already prepared it for you, Master.

-What?

 **Looking back, Ronan could indeed see that there was some bread, vegetables, and a sweet roll on the table.**

-Very… eager I see. Come on, then. Let's eat."

Ronan was still thinking heavily of what he should do next while eating his breakfast. Kharara was simply sitting in front of him, waiting for his next order. Ronan was considering going to see Nelacar in Winterhold, but he was an Arch-mage, and he had been out of the college for more than a week already. He couldn't just pass by the tavern and leave at once. Furthermore, Winterhold is a long distance from Falkreath, so he was to have a better excuse than asking an old student for a single spell. He concluded that his previous idea of a body guard was the best one. However, he was not sure that the bandit still had any talent in fighting.

"-Do you know how to fight?

-I do not know, Master.

-Then we'll check that after we finished breakfast."

Going through his few swords, Ronan decided that, since he himself was not experienced in melee combat, he would simply see how to handle a sword with a few sticks he didn't use for his shelves.

"-These will do. I want you to consider this stick as a sword, and me as your enemy. Try and attack me.

-Are you sure, Master?"

Kharara seemed uneasy at first, but Ronan noticed that he had a normal fighting stance. When he started delivering some blows, he could clearly see that he hit hard, as he had a hard time blocking. After a few hits, Kharara even managed to get a blow in, making Ronan drop his stick. The sorcerer was very surprised, in a good way, while Kharara was apologizing.

"-I am so sorry, Master! I didn't want to hurt you!

 **The way the Khajiit acted was completely different from what you'd expect from a bandit, Ronan thought.**

-Don't worry, I am not hurt, and you defend yourself very well."

Although Ronan had wiped out all Kharara's memories, his skills and abilities were left untouched. Obviously, or he wouldn't even be able to speak, Ronan deduced. However, that meant that Ronan didn't go as deep as he thought he went, inside the star.

Standing up, Ronan went to his storage room and brought back a full scaled set, a silver sword, and a hide shield. Kharara looked perplexed, but Ronan told him that they were going on a small trip, and that he had to be able to defend himself.

Ronan felt a little uncomfortable when he saw Kharara battle ready. He was going on a quite long trip with a bandit that tried to murder him the night before. Also, he was going to bring the result of necromancy experiments to the college. Hopefully no one would suspect anything, for Ronan now had a terrible secret following him, and answering to the name of Kharara.


	7. Chapter 7: Return to Duty

Narrating

'' **Narrating in conversations** ''

Ronan realized that since the previous night, he had to consistently deal with dilemmas. Now, he had two to choose between taking Azura's star with him and leaving it here. He felt that there really wasn't any point in taking it with him, except rising suspicions, would anyone find it. Indeed, he was merely going to ask for a spell, and the safest place where he could continue his experiments were at home, where he was standing right now. However, simply leaving such a powerful item here would make him feel uncomfortable during the whole trip. Finally, he decided to hide it here, inside a drawer, behind a number of books, where no one would seek it.

He gathered the necessities for the trip, but quickly realized that they were short on food. Ronan had bought a carriage service, but they still needed more to eat for the entire trip, which would probably take around a day. He had told the driver to station at Falkreath, since he would not use his services very often, and that the city was right next to the mansion. Ronan decided that they were going to pass by the city's shop and buy some more equipment.

Some vegetables and some bread, a torch, ropes, potions, some books… While Ronan was making sure he had everything ready to go, he noticed that Kharara didn't look so confident in his armor, and also looked a little uncomfortable. Leaving the only place he could remember for the other side of the country, Ronan could understand the look on his face.

When he was done, the two of them departed. Locking the door to his mansion, he felt a bit of anguish, thinking about what he had done, and what he was about to do. Hopefully his role as an Arch-mage would give him some other things to think about…

After a short walk, Ronan and Kharara arrived at the city's walls. Right next to the entrance was a stable, where Ronan's carriage was stocked, along with its horse. Inside, Gunjar, the driver, was taking care of the tall and muscular beast's coat. As Ronan was approaching him, the sound of Kharara's armor shaking with his steps got his attention.

"-Arch-mage Ronan! It is good to see you. Are you looking for a ride somewhere?

-Yes, but I have to buy some equipment and food for the trip before, if you don't mind.

-Of course I don't. Where are you hoping to go?

-Winterhold.

-Same as last time. Prepare yourself accordingly. This trip is going to be long! Oh, is that a new friend of yours?

 **He had noticed Kharara waiting behind the sorcerer. Ronan, a little surprised and anxious, quickly answered to the man.**

-Yes! It's, hum, an acolyte, escorting me to the College.

-Really? But you are the Arch-mage! I bet you could burn a man alive by merely looking at him!

-Having some company isn't really bad either, you know…

 **Ronan didn't really know what he was saying. How was he going to explain Kharara's presence to every person he met?**

-Well, I'll see you in a bit. I have to get my carriage ready, too.

-See you, Gunjar."

This conversation left Ronan a little awkward. Or was it embarrassment? Either way, he turned, and they entered the city. He hadn't noticed the guards before, but now their presence felt more menacing than calming. Would this feeling of guilt follow him whenever Kharara was with him, now?

His first stop was the Blacksmith, as he was the closest. Ronan wanted to check if there was any armor Kharara would feel more comfortable wearing. However, the man didn't have anything very sturdy to offer, and the only interesting thing in his possession was an orcish hammer. Ronan was pretty sure Kharara didn't have any experience in such a weapon, and decided that he would see to it later. For now, even though the quality of the equipment he gave to Kharara wasn't really great, he had nothing else to give him, so he had to do with it. Looking for provisions, they entered the general trader's store.

''-Ronan! You finally got out of your little mansion!

-Yes. Duty is calling, again. I'm going to Winterhold, and I need some food to eat during the trip.

-Maybe you should've stayed home, then. I heard the weather's getting even colder up north.

-I gladly would if I wasn't the most powerful sorcerer of Skyrim."

Fifteen minutes later, the awkward duo left the store, bags filled with cake, meat, and even some mead. This time, Ronan didn't feel anxious, rather that his life had not changed much after all. They both joined Gunjar, who was just getting out of the stable. Ronan and Kharara sat on the back of the carriage, and the trip began.

Ronan had brought books to read through the trip, and when he offered one to Kharara, the Khajiit kindly declined it, and instead spent his time, gazing at the nature passing through. However, Ronan needed to give Kharara instructions about how they would deal with any potential threat. He explained that if they were attacked, their first objective would be to protect Gunjar and his horse. Ronan told him that since they were two, in such a case, Kharara would have to stay around the carriage to protect it while Ronan deals with the threat. After all was settled, Ronan opened his first book, "Ahzirr Traajijazeri". Learning about Khajiit wasn't really a necessity, but he wanted to learn more about the land he saw in the memories he destroyed.

The trip was quite boring, as usual, and eventless. Even though Ronan couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing, he felt great joy once the College appeared into his view. It was quite rare to see a sky this clear in Winterhold, and could see the faint lights along the thin bridge as the sun was setting down. Ronan gave Gunjar a two hundred septims, to make sure his driver could wait comfortably in Winterhold during Ronan's stay. He was tempted to go straight to the tavern and ask for the spell, but a proper entrance as an Arch-mage was needed. He got down, took his bag, and followed by Kharara, started to head to the illuminated fortress.

Faralda was at the entrance of the bridge, where she usually stays several hours a day, to welcome any potential student. She saw Ronan when he arrived on the carriage, and welcomed the Arch-mage with a faint smile.

"-Arch-mage Ronan! Welcome back to the College. Did you have a good rest?

-Yes, thank you very much, Faralda. These few days of resting really were necessary.

-No major problem occurred while you were gone. However, I heard Tolfdir had several things he would like to talk to you about. You know how he doesn't really like having you away from the College for too long. Who is that, by the way?

 **Faralda was pointing at Kharara. Thankfully, the Khajiit preferred letting Ronan do the talking. The latter having thought about the way to introduce Kharara, he felt more confident this time around.**

-He is an acolyte of mine. I saved his life shortly after I arrived home, and he insisted on following me. His name is Kharara.

-Oh. Welcome to the College, Kharara."

Kharara answered with a bow, and followed Ronan on the bridge. The latter deduced that Kharara wasn't fond of talking, which suited the sorcerer perfectly fine. Answering back every welcome, Ronan headed straight to his quarters. If his role as an Arch-mage wasn't going to keep him busy, Ronan felt that he actually could relax in this familiar environment. He was first going to attend to his duties, and worry about his experiments later. He had been Arch-mage for two or three months already, and knew that it required a lot of patience and sometimes energy.

The faint blue light engulfed Ronan as he arrived in his quarters. He went straight to his bedroom to store his heavy equipment, but Kharara stayed a little behind him, amazed by the beauty and serenity of this place. When Ronan had dropped his bag, he turned to look at Kharara. In this blue light, he could barely recognize the Khajiit. At this moment, he thought of him as a stranger more than as an acolyte, contrarily to what he had told the people he met earlier. He still wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do with this stranger, but these feelings made him reconsider the few ideas he had beforehand. Should he really make him an acolyte? Or a slave? Perhaps a friend? Should he simply release him? Before he could think further, however, he heard someone knocking on his door.

"-Arch-mage Ronan? This is Tolfdir. I heard you just came back from vacation."

Well, Ronan thought, might as well get that out of the way. The day wasn't over yet.


	8. Chapter 8: Shady Business in Open Light

Narrating

'' **Narrating in conversations** '' 

His first day back at the College felt quite boring yet fast to Ronan. Although he was an Arch-mage, he was not sure that he was exactly fond of the tasks he was supposed to fulfill, and he was pretty sure it was also the case for Tolfdir. After all, the two of them were Arch-mage and Master Wizard because they were the two most powerful mages in the College when the Eye of Magnus crisis occurred. If he was to be honest, he still was not sure what he was supposed to do as an Arch-mage. Tolfdir had told him that he was considered as the most powerful sorcerer in the College, and had to take care of any problem the College may encounter. Other than that, as a master Illusionist and Conjurer, he could simply be researching or training students.

However, Ronan wasn't fond of neither of these things. The only research he wanted to do was about his new discoveries with Azura's star, and he didn't want to have students constantly following him. After all, there were enough masters in the College to ask for. That meant that Ronan wouldn't do much in the College but wait for a letter to ask for a meeting or for help.

Kharara didn't have anything to do either. They both were safe in the College, so he would simply follow Ronan around, also waiting for something interesting to happen. Ronan would pretend that the Khajiit wanted to learn magic in addition to his "acolyte" lie.

It was the day after their arrival that Ronan decided to go have a talk with Nelacar. The College was peaceful, so he didn't have anything to do once more. As the sun was setting down, he left his quarters and headed to the Frozen Hearth Inn. Faralda was at the end of the bridge, but simply watched Ronan and Kharara enter the inn.

Thankfully for Ronan, Nelacar seemed to be in his room as he entered. He asked Kharara to wait for him near the entrance, while he asks him for the spell. Remembering what he planned to say, he knocked on Nelacar's door. Seconds later, the mage opened and greeted Ronan.

"-Good evening, mister Arch-mage. It's been weeks now since we've met!

-Yes, I had a little vacation, and I just returned. Can I offer you a drink?

-You know I never refuse.

 **Since Ronan had helped him with the star, the two sorcerers kept meeting each other, as friends. After all, Nelacar never really left the College, and sometimes entered it to talk with the other mages. Ronan usually had a drink with him once every two weeks, so that they both knew how the other one was doing. They left his room, and sat on the nearest table, after they asked for some ale each. Kharara was seated on the other side of the room, so Ronan hoped he wouldn't get any attention.**

-So, vacation, you said? Where did you rest?

-In a nice mansion I built, near Falkreath.

-Isn't it a little far from Winterhold?

-It is. The trip is always long and boring. Thankfully, I have lots of book to keep myself busy. And you, did you learn anything new recently?

 **Dagur came at their table to give them both a bottle of ale, to which both the sorcerers thanked him.**

-That adding the wrong ingredients to the wrong mixture can result in a substance so acid it can melt a hole through the entire height of your table.

-So… A success or a failure?

-Even glass couldn't contain the thing, so I'll go with failure.

-Any successful experiment, then?

-Nothing worth any attention. And you, Arch-mage, did you learn new spells?

 **Nelacar chuckled, but Ronan felt a little bit anxious, as he went for the spell. He laughed too, trying to look innocent.**

-Not at my level, no. Although, you can always find new spells, even in your most specialized field. Recently, I found a spell that could turn silver into gold!

-Well, you can always try to make your own!

-Yes, that's what you did with the spell you used on me to make me enter the star, didn't you? I'm curious though. What is that spell? How did you make it?

-Well, it's basically a soul trap spell with slight modifications to allow consent beings to be captured by soul gems but keeping their body alive.

-That sounds too hard to be true. Did you really manage to create such a spell?

-Well, you can actually do a lot of things with consent beings, you know? So, writing the spell is easy, but you can never really use it…

 **Ronan had the information he wanted, but wished to see the spell to make things even easier, as he never wrote any spell himself.**

-Did you write it down? I never wrote any spell.

-Here, let me get my book…

 **He got up and entered his room. Ronan's heart was racing. Everything was going perfectly. Nelacar came back a minute later with a small book filled with notes.**

-This is the book I used to research about Azura's star. There are notes flying around, but it's still got everything. The spell should be… here.

 **He handed Ronan a small paper, with a pretty simple spell on it. There were some scratches and crossed writings, but the spell was near the bottom.**

-Does it take long to make a spell?

-Depends on which. I suppose the first mages to create a firestorm had more trouble than I. Though, I didn't really have any other choice than testing it first on you.

-I was an experiment of yours? Glad I didn't blow up.

 **Ronan laughed, as he tried to remember the spell as hard as he could. It was pretty simple, so he felt pretty sure that after reading the notes for a minute or so, he could use the spell.**

-I may be Arch-mage, but I'll never be as talented as you when it comes to experimenting. I don't even feel like I deserve the title…

-You've been elected by the Council of Mages! Drink some of that ale and cheer up! I heard that you were doing the finest job in the College.

 **The two sorcerers drank for the next hour, talking about all kinds of subjects that didn't really matter to Ronan anymore. After an hour, when they both had emptied their drink, Ronan got up.**

-Well, it was nice seeing you! I should probably go back to the College, now. I'm pretty sure people think I'm drinking litters of ale every time I come here, with the time I spend with you.

-Considering that mages don't drink much, they may not be all that wrong.

-It's not like we're going to get attacked by Magic Anomalies any time soon… Anyway, feel free to come to the College when you want. You know you can come back.

-My experiments are still a little too dangerous for the College, but I appreciate it. You should come at the inn more often. You're the only "drinking" buddy that I have.

-I'll try. Have a good evening!

-See you next time."

As he walked out, Ronan made eye contact with Kharara, who got up and followed him outside. As soon as he was out, he started walking rather fast towards the College. Upon reaching his quarters, he took a quill, the nearest blank note he could find, and wrote the spell. He could remember it very well, as he has been looking for it for days, and felt satisfied. With the spell in hand, all he needed now was an excuse to leave the College once again. He hoped for a letter that would ask for his services far from Winterhold, so that he could spend some time at home. However, the day was practically over, so he went to bed.


	9. Chapter 9: Odd Relationships

Narrating

'' **Narrating in speech** ''

Ronan never created any spell, but he sure knew how to use them. He had mastered numerous spells, including the Soul Trap one, and learnt all of them through spell tomes. These tomes would simply describe the few steps you have to follow after you grasped your magicka. For example, to cast a healing spell, you would have to grasp your magicka, and think about a soothing light wrapping your entire body. Master spells often required several elaborated steps involving lots of magicka. However, to cast Nelacar's spell, Ronan simply had to visualize the target's soul, and gently pull your hands towards you as to extract the soul. These steps meant that you could only capture souls that wouldn't fight back, as Nelacar explained. However, Ronan had to fight the urge to use it, as he let the star at home, a decision he was starting to regret.

Thankfully for Ronan, the letter he was looking for arrived two days later, at noon. It was from Calcelmo, owner of the Dwemer Museum, asking for help. A gigantic spider was blocking the dig site's entrance, and he found no mercenary courageous enough to fight the creature. Tolfdir felt perplexed about the Arch-mage's enthusiasm for this small case, but Ronan feigned a desire to visit the Dwemer Museum. Lying his way out of the College didn't feel like the best option, but Markarth was right next to Falkreath, so he wasn't going to waste this opportunity.

Ronan departed the following morning, meeting Gunjar at the inn. He was still sleeping, but Ronan was too excited to wait any longer. He knocked on his door, and told him that he had to go to Markarth as soon as possible. Half an hour later, the three were ready to go, and departed from the College. Asking Gunjar to pass by his mansion before going to Markarth, Ronan realized that the trip was going to feel longer than ever before.

The sun was shining strongly, and Ronan noticed that the Khajiit was trying to take a nap. He was thinking about how Kharara barely said anything for the past week, and about what could possibly be happening inside of that head. However, an arrow, striking the side of the cart, surprised the three men. Reacting quickly, Ronan yelled "Duck!" as another arrow came, followed by several bandits.

There were two of them, about a dozen meters away, but Ronan couldn't see the one using a bow. Ronan got up, and summoned a Dremora Warrior in front of the two charging bandits, who quickly slowed down and started running away, chased by the rage infused demon. As he watched this scene, he heard another arrow coming. Only this time, before he could react, Kharara got up, leaped in front of him and blocked the arrow with his shield. Astonished, he didn't feel the hand that was pulling him backwards until he heard Gunjar yell his name. A sword from above slowly approached his throat, but another one in front of him, Kharara, went right above his head and into the bandit's chest behind him. Still not fully grasping the situation, he saw the Khajiit being hit in the back another arrow. He grabbed Kharara by his shoulders, and pulled him on the ground, pulling the arrow with a hand while healing the wound with the other. He trembled on the arrow's stick, his hand partially soaked in blood. Gunjar was also laid down on the cart, looking terrified. When Kharara shouted "Do it!" the arrow came out, and another flew right over them. He got up, kneeling, and while still healing Kharara, located the bow wielding bandit, sitting on a tree, and used his unrelenting force shout. The sheer force of the shout bent the upper part of the tree, and the bandit that was readying another shot lost balance and fell down, unable to catch any branch before he landed on his back.

Outraged, Ronan jumped out of the cart, summoned a battle axe, and putting a feet on the bandit's chest, decapitated him. As he saw his Dremora Warrior running back, he climbed back unto the cart, and finished healing Kharara. Thankfully, after ten seconds, the wound was fully closed. Ronan exhaled, and Gunjar got up and leaned over to Ronan.

"-Is he okay?

-Do not worry, he is alright.

-That didn't go as well as last time, did it?

-Yes, and we were just three back then…

 **Ronan leaped out of the cart and summoned another Dremora Warrior.**

-You stay here. Gunjar, I'll go clean things up."

Taking the Dremora that chased the two first bandits with him, Ronan walked towards where they had ran away. A hundred meters deep into the woods was a small watchtower. In front of the entrance were the bodies of the two bandits, a sight that made Ronan and the demon chuckle. As he entered the tower, he heard a saw a man charging from the stairs towards him. Ronan simply stepped to the left, dodged the vertical swing, and the bandit got nearly sliced in two by the Dremora. He was wearing plate armor, but he was no match for the demon, who tore apart his armor in a single hit. He was now on the ground, bloody and terrified.

"-Where are the others?!

-Dead. You're the last?

-Damn you to Oblivion!"

And with a last blow (and a cruel laugh from the demon), the group of bandit was decimated. Ronan searched the tower and the bodies for valuables, but only found gold and potions. Going back to the cart, he saw Gunjar sitting in front, ready to go, and Kharara sitting casually where he was before the attack. He climbed back on. Kharara wasn't showing any sign of pain or sorrow. He was just sitting there with a blank expression, waiting for the trip to end. Ronan noticed how angry he got when Kharara got hurt, but also that the Khajiit wasn't showing any emotion or reaction to that at all. Kharara felt closer to a summoned ally than a friend to Ronan. He was glad to have the Khajiit with him, but Kharara wasn't showing any emotion back.

"-Ready to go?

-Yes. Do you know how much time until we reach Falkreath?

-I reckon about three hours.

-Alright then."

Ronan read for the rest of the trip, trying not to think too much about the situation. When they reached the mansion, Ronan gave Gunjar some gold, telling him that they might spend more time here after what happened. It was already getting dark, and so did he go to sleep directly. He didn't feel like torturing a man's soul for the moment, and hoped for the night to clear his thoughts, so that he could finally make good use of his new spell the following day.


	10. Chapter 10: A Perfect Warrior

Narrating

'' **Narrating in speech** ''

 _Memories_

YELLING/TALKING LOUDLY

This day was going to be a good day for Ronan. Gunjar was at Falkreath, and he had the whole day to experiment with Kharara and the star, something he's been craving for more than a week already. If the events of the previous day had shaken him a bit, he was now looking forward to using the spell. As he expected, when he woke up, Kharara had made breakfast. While eating, he noticed the Khajiit was still wearing his scaled armor, which still had the whole where the arrow pierced it. When they were done eating, Ronan asked him to put on back his normal clothes, and to join him in the basement. There, Ronan was glad to find the star intact, and prepared two chairs facing each other, for the experiment. He already had a few ideas he wanted to try out. As he started remembering all of these ideas, Kharara arrived in the basement.

"-Good. Sit here. I am going to cast a spell on you that will send you into this object. It might hurt a little at first.

-Anything for Master."

Indeed, Ronan could remember what being separated from your body felt like. When both were ready, Ronan lifted his hands and cast the spell. Visualize the spirit, and pull slowly with your hand. As he "pulled" Kharara's spirit, the Khajiit let out a growling sound, and fainted. The star that was on Ronan's lap was shining, and the spell was working. Extremely satisfied, Ronan put his hands on the artifact and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was still on his chair, but in the star, still facing Kharara, who had just woken up.

"-How are you feeling, Kharara?

-Fine, Master.

-Great. Now don't move and simply close your eyes."

Ronan got up, and placed himself behind the Khajiit, just like he did the first time. He placed his hands on his head, and there, were the memories. There was practically nothing left, but now there were all of the past week's memories too. He was unsure what he was going to do with them yet, but he wanted to try something else first. Indeed, putting a hand on his own head, Ronan tried to grasp for knowledge in Restoration magic to share with Kharara. A white stripe came out of his head, and he added it to the pile above Kharara's. He withdrew his hands. Did he still have his own memories? He cast a Greater Ward, everything was fine for him. Should he try to ask Kharara to cast one too? The Khajiit wasn't moving, either because of the added memories or because Ronan told him to. Going back on his chair and closing his eyes, Ronan was back in his basement in mere seconds. He touched Kharara's forehead with the artifact, and the Khajiit opened his eyes again.

"-How do you feel?

-Fine, Master.

-Very good. Can you cast a Greater Ward spell?

 **Kharara stood up, walked back a few steps, and cast a ward for several seconds.**

-Can you try again and hold for as long as you can?

-That was already the most I can do, Master.

 **So even though he had gained the knowledge, he still lacked the magicka, Ronan concluded.**

-Thank you, then. Sit back on the chair. We're going back into the star."

When Kharara was on his chair, eyes closed, Ronan cast the spell on more time. Following the same steps, the two arrived in the star. Giving the same instructions, Ronan placed his hands above Kharara's head. Now, he thought, he was going to make the perfect acolyte. Although Kharara was very obedient, the Khajiit lacked some emotions. Also, the "Master" still felt a bit odd. Ronan definitely wanted something closer to a friend, but still completely obedient. A slave would sound a bit too harsh. A servant would be perfect.

He wiped out all the memories, and started giving new instructions.

 _Your name is Kharara._

 _Ronan is your owner, and your friend._

 _Obey Ronan's every commands._

 _Protect and help Ronan at all cost._

 _You owe Ronan your life, and should never question or doubt him._

After making sure he would be fully obedient, he wanted to make sure he was strong enough to follow him anytime.

 _Be confident in your skills._

 _You should always be improving your skills in order to aid Ronan at your full capabilities._

 _You should strive to live, as to being able to serve Ronan._

He then shared with him some useful knowledge, such as the typical enemies found throughout Skyrim, Restoration magic, or basic information about the other schools of magic. He then shared everything he knew about various weapons, stealth and survival skills, as to make the strongest soldier. With all the space empty of any previous memory, Ronan was going to make him as strong as he could make him. Stronger than his Dremora Warriors. Stronger than a dragon. Stronger than him, even.

After spending a considerate amount of time trying to find and fill in every little detail he could find, Ronan felt satisfied once again. He liked the way this was going, and enjoyed making this experiment. He sat back on the chair, and closed his eyes. Back in the basement, he touched Kharara's forehead with the star, and the Khajiit was once again awake.

"-Hi. I am Ronan. Who are you?

-I am Kharara.

-What are you doing here?

-I am here to serve you.

-Great. Do you know who are the most powerful undead you can find in Nordic tombs?

-Dragon Priests.

-Can you cast the spell Oakflesh?"

Not moving from his chair, Kharara opened his right hand and effectively cast the spell. Ronan was astonished to see that every memory he implemented was working perfectly fine. However, the knowledge Ronan had on close combat was very limited, so he couldn't train him himself. The only way to make him improve was to either to find another "teacher" or to have him fight real enemies. After several seconds of reflection, he found an idea that might work. After they both climbed out of the basement, Ronan gave Kharara his armor, grabbed several types of weapons, and ventured outside. There he summoned a Dremora Warrior. When the deep purple fog faded, the tall demon looked around, and turned to Ronan.

"-I DO NOT SMELL THE SWEET SCENT OF WAR. WHAT IS IT, MY LORD?

 **The Daedra was yelling, the way he usually did. Or was it simply speaking loudly?**

-I would like you to train my acolyte on how to use your weapons as well as you do.

 **Ronan wasn't sure at all that such a creature would follow any order than "destroy", so he had to try and convince him.**

-THAT IS A WASTE OF MY SKILLS AND TIME.

-Kharara is going to fight alongside you from now on, so if you don't want a weakling obstructing your way, you could teach him a thing or two. I'm sure the slaughtering will be a lot more fun then. No offense, Kharara.

-UGH, FINE, BUT I AM NOT GOING TO DO THAT FOR 3 HOURS STRAIGHT, OR I'LL GO MAD.

-Thank you immensely.

 **Ronan gave Kharara a Greatsword, took a few steps back, and watched the rest of the very unusual scene.**

-TO HAVE THE MOST STRENGTH IN YOU SWINGS WHEN YOU'LL DECAPITATE YOUR ENEMIES, YOU'LL HAVE TO HOLD YOUR BLADE LIKE THIS.

-Okay.

-PLACING YOUR FEET CORRECTLY ALLOWS FOR MORE FLESH CUTTING, TOO.

-I see.

.

.

.

 **After fifteen minutes or so, the Daedra had given all the tips about the cons and flaws of Greatswords, including how to block them, and so he turned to Ronan.**

-THE REST IS MUSCLE MEMORY, NOT MUCH I CAN DO HERE. DID YOU NEED ANYTHING ELSE, MY LORD? SOME SPARRING TO TRY THAT OUT, MAYBE?

-I would have agreed, if I wasn't sure you were going to behead him instantly. Thank you again. See you next time, on the battlefield.

-THERE BETTER BE LOTS OF MEAT TO CHOP."

As the warrior disappeared, Ronan thought that it was time to put all that into practice. It was some time past noon, so they would have to go to Markarth soon. Ronan rejoiced at the idea of having three such warriors at his service, and perhaps more…


	11. Chapter 11: Undefeatable

Narrating

'' **Narrating in speech** ''

Although Ronan wasn't exactly done with experiments using the star, he was first planning on making his faithful warrior stronger. Grabbing different kinds of weapons to train with, he chose to bring the star with him this time. Indeed, he had several new ideas involving the possible uses of the new spell, and planned on coming back to his mansion after dealing with the spider. Making sure he had enough provisions, the two started walking towards Falkreath. Enthusiastic, Ronan found Gunjar in the Dead Man's Drink Inn. Gunjar seemed a bit surprised at their sight.

"-Ready to go already, Arch-mage? I thought you wanted to rest a bit more today.

-Night brings good counsel, and I feel divine today, Gunjar. And you? Are you okay? You were here during the attack, too.

-I know you're the Arch-mage, Ronan. Even in the midst of a bandit attack, I know I am safe, with you around. Don't worry about me.

-Thank you Gunjar. Well then, we're ready to go to Markarth.

-A short trip for once. Give me half an hour and I'll be ready.

-Thank you again. See you later."

Ronan was thinking about all the things he wanted Kharara to excel at. Alteration magic, blocking, restoration magic… Smithing and enchanting would be very useful too. But before thinking about how to help him improve, he wanted to try something with the star, which would hopefully make things easier for him. He entered the Gray Pine Goods shop to sell the equipment he found on the bandits.

"-Already back, Ronan?

-I really like this place. Coming here almost killed me, though.

-You were attacked?

-Yeah, but seeing bandits chased by two angry Dremora Warriors is always amusing. They had some stuff on them.

 **Ronan didn't really like having his pouch always full of things to sell, so he only got a few pieces of armor and weapons.**

-A helmet? Was the rest in pieces?

-Steel Plate armor isn't exactly light, and the helmet was the only enchanted piece the guy had. I also found an enchanted shield in one of their chests.

-You should sell a bit more to the blacksmith, you know.

-I prefer selling to you when it's enchanted, since Lod can't really do anything with enchanted parts.

-Was that all you needed?

-Some more food for the trip would be nice, too."

Some minutes later, Ronan and Kharara were ready to go. They joined Gunjar, who was almost done preparing the cart. When all was set, they departed towards Markarth.

The trip was much quicker, about three or four hours. To pass the time, Ronan helped Kharara with his alteration skills a bit. The Khajiit knew the spells, but still had some trouble controlling his magicka. As the Dremora said, practice is what makes good warriors, not theories. When Markarth's imposing gates started to appear, Rona lost no time. Telling Gunjar that they would be leaving in less than two hours, he entered the city.

Markarth brought back many memories to Ronan, and not exactly good ones. Being sent to jail and betrayed by the law had not pleased him very well. Fortunately, being a Master Conjurer ended up being exceptionally useful when tracking down all the Forsworns and corrupt guards of the city. Ronan gladly paid for his crimes with gold afterwards, and was not able to roam in the city freely. When the law is wrong, make the law, he thought. Ronan entered the keep, and found Calcelmo not far from the entrance, bent over an Alchemy Lab.

"-Excuse me, sir?

-Argh, what do you want, interrupting me in the middle of my experiment? I told you I do not want any more guards for my Museum!

-This is the Arch-mage, sir.

 **The wizard instantly turned to face Ronan.**

-My apologies, my work is stressful, and people seem to like disturbing me around here. Have you responded to my letter?

-Yes. Are you having a spider problem?

-I do, but I certainly didn't expect the Arch-mage to come all the way here. There indeed is a giant spider, called Nimhe, blocking the entrance to the dig site. I already sent several mercenaries and legion soldiers, but none of them seemed to have made it back. If you could take care of the creature, I will allow you to visit my Dwemer Museum.

-Don't worry, this'll be easy.

-I have no doubt. Here's a key to the entrance. I will wait for you here.

 **Ronan and Kharara entered the excavation site. However, Ronan's goal here was first to test Kharara's skills on the battlefield.**

-Kharara?

-Yes, Ronan?

-I want you to lead the way, and deal with all the enemies we'll encounter. I will be behind you, healing you and ready to react if I need to. Use the weapons you have as efficiently as possible. Are you ready?

-Yes, Ronan."

Kharara readied his bow and arrows, and started walking. Ronan noticed that he was indeed using his equipment wisely. When he had a clear view on the spider, he used his bow, and when in close combat he used his sword and shield. He knew that these spiders throw poison when engaging in battle, and he either dodged or blocked all of them. They progressed very easily, as Ronan did not even have to heal Kharara, and soon found a dead end. As he saw Nimhe descending from the ceiling, Ronan summoned two Dremora Warriors. He told Kharara to join them using his Greatsword, and within seconds, the giant spider was cut to flaming pieces. Satisfied, Ronan was ready to leave when he saw the bloodied body of a legion soldier. Next to it was a journal about mages studying Dwemer artifacts in the ruin. Might as well clear the rest of the ruins, Ronan thought, so he and Kharara cut their way through Nchuand-Zel.

As for the spiders, Kharara showed good battle skills with the Falmers and other Dwarven machines. When the defenses were activated, Ronan could see that Kharara was already a ferocious opponent, and that the both of them were already undefeatable. When the final centurion woke up, Ronan had summoned two Dremora Warriors and told Kharara to help him using the bow. The Khajiit was already using it as well as Ronan did, and his shots were probably already a little more powerful. Positively surprised with Kharara's progression, Ronan took some time to search the place for valuables and returned to Calcelmo.

"-I am back, Calcelmo.

-Mmh? Oh, Arch-mage! You were taking some time down there. I thought something bad had happened…

-Actually, everything went really well, so I took the time to clear the entire ruins and reactivate its defenses. I also found all of the previous research group's notes.

-Well, that's impressive! If what you are saying is true, my research is going to go a lot faster than I expected. Here's the key to my museum. Come visit it whenever you want, although mind touching the artifacts. Some are very fragile.

-Thank you. I am looking forward to it."

However, Ronan had something else than a museum in his mind. He had something to try with the star, and for that he needed to first go back home. He joined Gunjar, and departed for Falkreath. It was dark when they arrived, so Ronan had to be efficient during the time he was spending here, before returning to the College.

"-Thank you again, Gunjar. I might spend two or more days here. I have some things to do around Falkreath that I'd like to take care of before going to the College.

-No problem, Ronan. I will be in the Dead Man's Drink if you need me.

-Yeah, see you later.

 **The two companions entered the mansion as the cart's torch faded away.**

-Go to sleep Kharara, I'll wake you up to test something.

-Okay Ronan."

Grabbing a chair, Ronan sat in front of Kharara's bed and starting writing down his next ideas involving the star in his notebook. Hopefully he could try them all out before leaving the mansion. Half an hour passed, and Ronan looked up to see if Kharara was asleep. The Khajiit was breathing softly, turned away from the feeble light cast by the room's candle, and wasn't moving at all. Ronan quietly put the notebook down and cast the star's soul capturing spell. Kharara didn't make a sound, and the star started glowing softly. Pleasantly surprised, Ronan quickly entered the star. Inside was Kharara lying down on the cold floor, looking confused.

"-Ronan?

-Yes, sorry for not warning you, but I wanted to check if that worked on sleeping targets. Did you feel anything? Did you resist or not?

-Well, I was in a dream and a… blue light arrived and engulfed me before I could even react.

-Great! Thank you again. And sorry for disturbing you.

Ronan left the star and returned Kharara's soul to its body.

-See you tomorrow Kharara.

-Good night, Ronan"

This discovery was great news to Ronan. He could test all of his new ideas easily, now. Tomorrow is going to be eventful, he thought.


	12. Chapter 12: Seeker of Knowledge

Narrating

'' **Narrating in speech** ''

 _Reading_

Ronan woke up. He had several goals to reach this day, and he did not want to lose any time. Thankfully, Kharara was already awake and ready, and within an half an hour, they were already outside. Ronan had brought all the equipment he thought would be useful for his new experiments, and he started moving. First, he wanted to return to Illinalta's Deep, to search for any information relevant to the star. The place was close by and secured enough to be searched thoroughly. They were there before long, and thankfully, Ronan did not have to search the decomposing corpses at all. Indeed, first checking Varen's remains, he found his grimoire. The Black Star: An Achievement of Magic over Daedra, exactly what he was looking for.

Although he was wondering how Varen manages to write a grimoire outside of the star, he soon remembered him being taunted by the Daedra, and wondered if he would share the same fate. Hopefully since Nelacar modified the star the Daedra could not talk to him through it anymore, or simply find him. Since the star was changed, Ronan was not sure that the book would be of any use, except for minor details. However, reading the book next to the skeleton, he stumbled upon something he completely missed until then.

 _A short while ago I finally managed to capture a black soul into the star, and I immediately started what I've been aiming for all this time. Capturing my own soul was very painful, but I managed to enter the star. There was only cold, bright blue stone, except for the follower that I used for the first capture. Now, all that I needed to do was to absorb his soul. It is the same thing as capturing one, but much more painful for its owner…_

Capturing a soul of a captured soul? It seemed simple enough to Ronan, and he wasn't stuck in a star. He would most probably look into that, but for now he grabbed the book, and left the place. He had all the information he wanted. Now his next goal was to perfect his soldier further. He first thought about going in a bandit's camp and "borrow" their skills. However, the fact that he could use the star on sleeping people brought new ideas to Ronan. Now, he could actually steal knowledge from the masters, without raising much suspicion. After some reflection, he decided that he was going to try that out in Whiterun this night.

He never really talked to the Companions, as they relied on flesh and steel rather than magic. And with the Gray-Manes in the guild, they weren't going to have any Thalmor problem. As a former Thane, Ronan knew the city quite well, and so he heard several stories about the Skyforge. What interested him was not particularly the forge, but its renowned blacksmith, Eorlund Gray-Mane. Forging the armors and weapons of the Companions, his skills as a blacksmith were praised. Ronan had little use of such skills, but there could be no downside to Kharara having them either.

An hour after leaving Illinalta's Deep, Ronan and Kharara reached Whiterun. It had been quite some time since he came here, because of how busy he was as the Arch-mage. He walked through the first districts, and sat down below the blooming Gildergreen Tree. Kharara sat next to him, as he finished reading Varen's Grimoire. The rest of what he hadn't read was only about killing people inside the star. Apparently, absorbing a soul wouldn't extend his life for more than a month. Ronan thought about all the things he discovered about the store effortless, and wondered if he could actually surpass Varen with Nelacar's modifications. When he was done reading the book, he took out his notes. There was not much more to test with the star, but Ronan wished he had a lot more time for it. His role as an Arch-mage was clearly getting in the way of his experiments. Also, it didn't bring much advantage anymore. Indeed, Ronan had a home, a grand stack of gold from all of his trips, and the star. Giving up the title would probably do more good than bad, no matter how crazy it sounds, Ronan thought. For now, he had to wait for night to come, and so he and Kharara rested for some hours.

As the descending sun and its light began to fade away, Ronan saw Fralia Gray-Mane returning home. It was only after another hour that Eorlund left his forge and joined his wife. Ronan was getting tired of waiting, and so he reached in his bags for all the enchanted equipment he brought. Gloves, amulet, ring, magicka regeneration and fortify illusion. Ronan could feel his magicka flowing by, abundant. As a Conjurer, Ronan loved to summon his Dremora Warriors, and hide in the middle of the battle, unseen and unheard. He was a master Illusionist, and knew how to sneak around anywhere without being detected. He took the star, put his favorite mask Morokei, chose the biggest book he had, and turned to Kharara, that was napping.

"-Kharara?

-Mmh… Yes, Ronan?

-I'm going to go get some information. Guard my bag. I'll come back in two hours or so.

-Stay safe, Ronan."

He cast his first invisibility and muffle spells. He couldn't open doors without being detected, so he knocked on the Gray-Mane's door, and turned back to invisible. After several seconds, Fralia opened the door, and stepped outside. Swiftly, Ronan entered the house behind her back. Confused, she closed the door as no one answered her call. Ronan then found a small spot in a corner where to stay while waiting for them to go to sleep, since the Gray-Mane family was still having dinner. He opened his book, and started reading to pass the time.

When they were done and started leaving, Ronan followed Eorlund upstairs, in his bedroom. He was obviously sleeping next to his wife, and Ronan hoped that she wouldn't be too much trouble. Infiltrating people's personal lives felt strange to Ronan, but because he was buried in his book he was barely taking notice. When he had finished the book, Ronan felt like it was a good time to finally try out his plan. He laid himself down on the floor next to the bed, and cast the spell very slowly. As he didn't meet any resistance, he assumed the spell worked and entered the star.

Indeed inside was a confused Eorlund, sitting on the floor, looking around him. As he noticed Ronan, the sorcerer summoned two Dremora Warriors and slowly walked towards him.

"-Lay down on your stomach, hands on your back, or this is going to be painful.

-Who are you and what do you want?!

 **The man was dead scared, and was now trembling before Ronan and the imposing demons.**

-Do what I say, now!"

With a small shriek, Eorlund obeyed. Ronan crouched down, and laid both hands on his head. As usual, the small stripes of fumes appeared. Doing the opposite this time, he located and started to extract the blacksmith's skill. Not sure what to do with these small stripes in his hands, he approached them to his head, and could indeed feel the knowledge flooding in. How to bend the metal in almost incongruous ways, what does a sturdy blade looks and feels like. The firmness the different materials have… Satisfied, he made sure that the blacksmith still had the knowledge too, and let go of him. Acting quickly, before Eorlund could react, Ronan came out of the star, cast his invisibility spell, gave Eorlund his soul back and approached the door. Eorlund was looking around, nervous, and got out of his bed. He quickly opened the door, and step out of his room, and examined the first floor and the entrance door. Meanwhile, Ronan simply followed him closely outside, and started going down the stairs. Eorlund raised an eyebrow, breathed out, and returned to his bedroom. Ronan waited for several minutes before slowly opening the door and leaving the house.

Kharara was still on the bench, next to the sack. Ronan quietly sat next to him, and waited for the spell to come off. When the Arch-mage suddenly appeared, inches from him, Kharara jumped back a little.

"-AH! You're back!

-Yes, and got exactly what I wanted. Let's go back home."

Ronan had not installed the necessary equipment for forging around his mansion, but he still gave Kharara the smithing skills. Indeed, he feared a little that since these are knowledge, memories, they can also fade away. Since Ronan didn't need it, he gave it all to Kharara, who would try hard not to forget his new skills. The Arch-mage was getting used to the whole procedures, but he was worried that the next steps he wanted to take with the star might really be obstructed by his duties as the Arch-mage. Tired, he put these thoughts away, and simply went to sleep. The night was surely not going to bring counsel this time, he thought, as he chuckled.


	13. Chapter 13: Shifting Purposes

Narrating

 _Writing_

'' **Narrating in conversations** ''

Ronan was feeling like a grumpy child when he woke up. He did not want to return to the College. He did not want to ride again for eight hours. He did not want to waste his time, waiting for a mage to find a spider in his house again. He wanted to use the star, one of the most powerful artifacts that he knew of, and that was in his hands. Taking time to process all of this, he realized that he had nothing to gain from being the Arch-mage, except for a nice coat. Most powerful sorcerer of Skyrim? Sure he could summon warriors and hide until the fight is over, but he knew the star could really make him powerful. He readied himself for the trip, as he wanted to make it the last one there.

He still didn't want to bring the star with him. This time he would be seeing it back soon enough. When he and Kharara were ready, they set off and walked towards Falkreath, as usual. He found Gunjar in the inn, and waited for him to prepare the cart, like he always does. When it was done, they climbed in and departed towards the College, once more. However, this time felt different for Ronan. Indeed, he was excited, with finally a matter worth his time. These past months were relaxing, and now it was time to finally move on. During the trip, Ronan started preparing his departure. As excited as he felt, he still liked the College, and most of its mages. The Arch-mage would be gone, once more, so he wanted to make it less chaotic than it was for him. He also thought about how he was to leave, and where. Some knew he lived around Falkreath, so it would not be hard finding him. With all these matters in thought, Ronan was kept busy for the whole trip. When he arrived, he lost not time, as he knew exactly what he was going to do.

The same sunset welcomed him to the College, and so did Faralda. Another round of greetings, although they felt like farewells to Ronan. He made sure indeed to see every mage, making sure all was good and he could leave without worrying about the College anymore. He felt like he had done a good work as an Arch-mage, as the College's supervisor. Students were learning, masters researching, others working, and there was no Thalmor trying to blow up the entire world. When all were sleeping, Ronan sat in a chair, in his quarters, and started writing.

 _Dear Mages of the College,_

 _I wanted to thank you all for being here with me throughout my time here. With your help, I was able to become a powerful sorcerer, able to take down even the most ancient of dragons. After using this same power to save the College and restore it to glory, you named me Arch-mage. With the help of all of you, I worked hard to make sure that the College was a wonderful place to study magic as much as one desired. And indeed it is now peaceful, and wonderful to see all of you work together to master your skills and understand magic as a whole._

 _However, I feel like my purpose is done here. The College is functioning perfectly, I mastered two fields of magic, and any problem that rises is solved almost instantly. As a dragonborn, there are many things yet for me to learn. I have all the power I could have ever wanted, and I can now roam all of Tamriel safely, acquiring knowledge and wisdom. I am sorry to leave you as such, but I am not one for talking, and my first for adventure and new landscapes has grown too big for me to bear. Leaving Skyrim soon, I will make sure to come back someday, to hopefully see how all of you improved._

 _I hereby forfeit my title as the Arch-mage of the College of Winterhold, and lend it to Tolfdir, probably the greatest wizard I may ever meet. You are much more qualified and wise than I am, and I know you will endorse these responsibilities better than anyone else. I leave the College in between your hands, and wish the best luck to you and you all._

 _Fare thee well,_

 _Ronan._

Hopefully they would not try to look for him, Ronan thought. Although he was lying, he truly believed the rest of what he wrote. The College was a very good place to study magic, but it was just not enough for Ronan, now. He signed the page, tore it from the book, and started writing on another. This one was much quicker, thanking Gunjar for having done his work perfectly for Ronan. When he was done, he took the first page he tore off, took off his coat, and place both on his chair. He equipped a nicely enchanted light armor he found some time ago, and left with Kharara.

After he left the College unseen, he entered the Frozen Hearth and asked Dagur to give the letter and a small bag filled with gold to Gunjar when he wakes up. He wasn't sure that he would find anyone willing to ride around Skyrim for days that easily, so he wished it would make up for his disappearance. He was now free of any duty, and could finally fully experiment with the star.

Ronan summoned Arvak. He only rarely did so, as the horse could easily frighten anyone, and sitting on bones wouldn't feel good either. However, he needed to reach his mansion as fast as possible, and so he climbed on his back, followed by Kharara. The Khajiit clutching to his waist, Ronan left Winterhold, and for a good while this time. The trip was uncomfortable but much shorter, and Ronan was able to reach his house without any trouble before dawn. He was obviously very tired, but he wasn't going to rest until he had the star and most of his belongings out of it. Sending Arvak back with a "thanks", he entered his house and immediately went for the star. It was at the same place as last time, and Ronan felt relieved to see it again. Going back upstairs, he packed some foods and clothes. He would still use his house as storage, but would relocate someplace else. Indeed, after he concluded that staying here in his mansion for his experiments was a bad, idea, he thought of several places to go. However, one place in particular would be ideal: Helgen. The place had been destroyed a little less than a year ago, and although he heard that the Imperials had planned on taking it back, he knew they weren't able to do so before the Stormcloacks vanquished them. Additionally, there were rumors of bandits occupying the ruins, which would prove useful for Ronan in several ways. When he was done packing enough supplies, he left the house with Kharara.

Helgen was close by, and they reached it within half an hour. Following the same path the cart followed the day he was captured, he could indeed see an archer standing on the city's wall when it appeared in view. Before the bandit could see him, he took several ropes out of his bag and gave some to Kharara.

"-We're going to enter the city. I'll take care of that archer on the wall. You go further and deal with any threat. However, I want you to be careful to keep the last bandit standing alive without dismembering him. Use your shield or any mean you see fit to take out his weapon and then knock him down. Use these ropes to tie his hands and feet, and then wait for me to join you. If he resists too hard, simply keep him alive and wait for me. Any question?

-Will we get some sleep soon?

-Yes, right after this, if all goes well. Ready?

-Yes, Ronan."

They started running for the gate. The archer spotted them about 30 meters from the wall, but she didn't bother asking questions and started drawing an arrow, yelling for the other bandits to aid her. Ronan cast his invisibility spell before she could shoot, and Kharara blocked the arrow with his shield when she did. While she was still aiming for Kharara, Ronan ran up the wall. Kharara blocked two additional arrows before Ronan reached her. The archer heard his footsteps, and took out her sword instead. However, Ronan was hidden, and muffled his noise when he got close. The bandit was standing there, trying to figure out where he would hit first, but it was already too late for her. She was only able to hear two words, Gol-hah, before her will was taken away temporarily. Reappearing, Ronan ordered her to lie down and started binding her.

Meanwhile, Kharara had simply been running to the center of town, looking for opponents. Luckily the archer had called reinforcements, and two bandits were already coming his way. One had a shield and a mace while the other one had a battleaxe. The latter charged, and gave a vertical blow. Kharara dodged it, but the second bandit was waiting for him behind his friend. He tried to hit Kharara, but the Khajiit blocked the attack, and stabbed the first bandit in the throat from the back. As he turned to face the last bandit, however, he was it in the face with a shield. He fell, lost his sword, but quickly got back to his feet, his shield raised. The bandit laughed, but Kharara didn't lose any second and cast a mage light towards him. Blinded, he raised his shield, until he was knocked off his feet with a front sweep from Kharara. He fell face first on the ground, before Kharara put a foot on his back and grabbed his mace. His nose slightly bleeding, he started taking the ropes out when he heard another man charging in. Indeed, another man in plate armor was running towards him, an imposing Warhammer raised. Before the man could come close, Kharara hit the bandit he was stepping on in the head. Ignoring the splashes of blood, he moved away from the corpse and readied himself for the armored bandit.

As for the first bandit, he was ready to dodge when he was surprised by a sweeping horizontal attack. He had trouble moving away from it, and was only able to partially block it. He was hit with great force in the shield, which broke partially, along with his arm. Taking it off, he put his mace away and started healing his arm. As he started doing so, he heard Ronan yelling "Dodge!" He rolled on the side, but did not hear any arrow flying by. He looked in Ronan's direction hastily, but the mage was binding his opponent in ropes. Still, following his orders, he looked back at the armored bandit, and without a shield and a mace, managed to evade his blows quite easily. After a little more than a minute, Kharara had healed his arm, and the bandit was growing tired. Readying himself to try and take the Warhammer out of the bandit's hands, his thoughts were cut short when he heard a shout and saw the bandit stopped moving. Ronan appeared next to him, and approached the man. Kharara started running to try and block any blow, but the mage was able to simply take the weapon gently from his grip. While his companion stood there with a surprised face, Ronan ordered the man to take off his gauntlets and Kharara to take out the ropes. The bandit complied, and Ronan was able to tie his hands and feet without a single amount of resistance.

"-What… How did you do that, Ronan?

-One of my most useful and powerful dragon shouts. This man's will is weak, and I'll make it mine. Go check that no man is left in the ruins, and make it so there isn't if there still is."

Ronan didn't have any occasion on which to use this shout before, but now he was sure that it would prove extremely useful from now on. Entering the nearest burned building, Ronan took a chair, and brought it back next to the bandits. The effect was wearing off, Ronan deduced, as the archer started cursing him. After several minutes, Kharara was back.

"-I haven't checked far in the buildings, but it seems that was all there was.

-Thank you, Kharara. Stay here and guard the place while I do my work."

Both of the bandits were now yelling at them, but Ronan paid no attention to their words. He simply sat down in the chair, next to the archer, and shouted "Gol-hah" again. When she stopped yelling, Ronan told her not to resist the spell he was going to cast. He then took the star on his lap, and used the spell on her. Her soul was immediately trapped in the star, and so Ronan lost no time and entered the star.

Inside was her soul, but she was just standing upright waiting. Ronan concluded that the shout was still applied to her, and so he told her to sit on the chair he brought and wait. When she was prepared, he placed his hands on her head and starting looking at her memories. Her name was Sylten. She had fallen in love with an adventurous man, and followed him around Skyrim shortly after she became an adult. However, that man was wicked, and without noticing so, became a lot like him. Soon, the man started committing crimes, and eventually both were banished from the only homes they had. Murdering people for money and survival, they eventually settled in Helgen, where a dragon had attacked recently. Killing anyone there, they were joined by several people over the course of the year, and they were forming a small group of bandits.

Tired, Ronan simply erased her memories and gave her simpler instructions than the ones he gave to Kharara. When he was done, he left the star. The woman hadn't woken up yet, but he wanted to end finish this quickly. He shouted again, and followed the same steps as with the archer. This man's name was Benoor, and he was much more violent than anything else, as he enjoyed killing anything that could breathe. First working as a mercenary, he ended up in jail for killing his employer. Still frustrated when he got out, he chose a life of crimes to satisfy his lowly needs. As with the previous bandit, he erased his memories and replaced them with temporary instructions. When he was out of the star, the archer had woken up.

"-Who are you?

-Sylten. Are you Ronan?

-Yes. What do you want to do?

-Whatever you want me to do, Master.

 **There, was the "Master" again. The second bandit woke up, and to make sure both were following him blindly, he asked him the same questions.**

-You, there. What's your name?

-I'm Benoor. Are you my Master Ronan?

-Yes. Is there anything you'd like to do?

-Only what my Master wants me to do, Master."

Ronan was extremely satisfied with these perfect results. However he was getting too tired, and would continue using the star when he would've had some sleep. He entered the Keep, found the room that contained the beds he had seen there last time, and laid down in one.

"-Sylten and Benoor, I want you to guard this place while we get some rest. If you see anyone else, wake us up immediately.

-Understood Master.

-Take a bed and have some rest too, Kharara. You've more than earned it."

Relieved to finally be able to sleep, Ronan rejoiced at the power the artifact contained. And if his assumptions were right, he suspected it to have many more uses he had not discovered yet, uses that would make him the most powerful being of Skyrim.


	14. Chapter 14: Limitless Power

Narrating

'' **Narrating in conversations** ''

Ronan woke up. Fully rested, he stood up. Sylten and Benoor were still on each side of the room, and Kharara was by the table nearby, with some food out. When the Khajiit saw him standing up, he offered him some breakfast.

"-Good morning Ronan. I've gathered some food around the town and brought it here. It really looks like we're the only ones here. There were quite a lot of gold and equipment, too.

-Amazing work, Kharara. Sylten, Benoor, come get some breakfast.

-Yes, Master.

 **After a voluminous breakfast, Ronan started to instruct Kharara for his next experiment.**

-Okay Kharara, today we're going to try and get you to share your skills to Sylten and Benoor. First, I'll check that we can be more than two in the star. To enter the star when a soul is inside, you have to look at it, close your eyes, and imagine yourself diving in it. Are you ready?

-I am, Ronan.

-Sylten, we'll start with you. Stay on your chair, and wait for us inside the star.

 **He used the spell on Sylten, who immediately collapsed on her chair, as the star started glowing. Ronan put the star on the table.**

-Touch it and go in.

 **Kharara put a hand on the star and closed his eyes. After several seconds, he too collapsed on the table. Ronan deduced that he managed to get in, and grabbed the star. He repeated the same steps, and managed to effectively enter the star. Inside were Sylten on her chair and Kharara waiting next to her.**

-Perfect. Don't move, Sylten.

 **He put his hands on her head, and saw the stripes again. Their number was greatly reduced now, and Ronan started adding the same instructions as for Kharara. After several minutes, he felt satisfied, and took his hands off of her head.**

-Alright Kharara, I want you to put your hands on her head, and visualize her soul.

 **Kharara did so, and looked surprised.**

-Can you see some strips over her head?

-Yes, Ronan. What are they?

-Her memories. Now, this may seem odd, but try to think about the different skills you have, such as smithing or Restoration magic, and try to pry them off of your head and give add them to the stripes.

-Hum…

 **Kharara did look confused, but as he moved one hand to and from his head, he indeed saw the same kind of fume stripe. He let it fall in the Sylten's pile, and repeated the movement several times.**

-Do you need help remembering all the skills, Kharara?

-No, Ronan. I can list them all on my own.

 **Several minutes passed before Kharara stopped moving his hands.**

-I am done, Ronan.

-Thank you Kharara. Take your hands off. Now, to get out of the star, you simply have to visualize your body, and imagine your soul returning to it. Go when you're ready.

 **Kharara closed his eyes, and disappeared in front of Ronan. After getting out of the star himself, Ronan saw Sylten waking up.**

-Hey, Sylten. How do you feel?

-Hugh, Ronan? I feel… alright, thank you.

-Can you cast a Muffle spell?

 **Looking at her hands, Sylten effectively cast the spell.**

-Excellent. Now Kharara, we'll do the exact same thing with Benoor.

 **Ronan and Kharara repeated the numerous steps, and were out of the star once again after around 15 minutes. When Benoor started waking up, Ronan asked the same questions to make sure all memories and instructions had taken effect.**

-Benoor?

-… Yes, Ronan?

-Are you okay?

-I am.

-Are you able to cast a lesser ward?

 **Benoor extended his arm, and cast a ward for a few seconds.**

-Great. Now let's get to work."

Ronan had several objectives in mind. Although the Keep was comfortable, he wanted to actually restore the town, if possible. To do that, he would also need a fair amount of followers, which he could also use to protect and serve him. However, he first wanted to see if he could really become immortal the way Malyn Varen tried to. He had faithful warriors, dragonborn powers, and the ability to get in or out of the star by will. He wondered if he should use Sylten or Benoor as his first attempt, but decided that he needed followers as much as trying this experiment, and chose to try and get some more bandits for it.

Packing some equipment and provisions, he instructed Sylten and Benoor to start cleaning up the town and to gather all equipment they could find into the keep. When he was ready, he left with Kharara towards the South. Indeed, remembering about all the rumors of camps of bandit, he remembered the Neugrad Fort being occupied by bandits after the Legion Soldiers there were killed. Indeed they could clearly see archers on the fort's walls when they arrived there. However, Ronan only needed one test subject, and so he decided to get in the sneaky way. Using his usual stealth equipment, he entered the fort using his invisibility spell while Kharara stayed hidden not far from the entrance. To make things simpler, Ronan climbed up the stairs and on the wall, waiting above the entrance for a patrol to come by. Thankfully, there were only two bandits walking slowly across the wall, and they stayed far from each other. Another was working at the forge, but wouldn't be able to react very easily if anything happened. After waiting several minutes, an archer started slowly walking across the entrance's wall. As soon as he was behind his back, Ronan shouted "Gol-hah" as low as he could. Before anyone could react, he told the archer to jump down and follow him quickly, and leaped down from the wall. It was pretty low on this side of the castle, so jumping from it would only slightly hurt, temporarily. When the archer landed, Ronan started running towards Kharara and a little further even. When he was about a hundred meters from the fort, he told him to lie down and cast the star's spell. As the star started glowing, he told Kharara to take his legs so that they could go back to Helgen.

When they arrived thirty minutes later, they went straight for the Keep, and laid the archer's body down on one bed. He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to do this, but he remembered that he simply had to capture the man's soul inside the star. However, he wanted to make sure the experience would be as safe as it could for him. He half expected to be trapped inside the star when the other soul dies, as he would be the only soul left in the star. He told Kharara to touch his forehead with the star if he wasn't back in ten minutes, and entered the star.

The archer was walking around the star, looking for an exit. When he saw Ronan, he started yelling.

"-Who are you and what is this place?!

-Don't move. This will be over soon."

Before the archer could dodge it, Ronan cast his Soul Trap spell. The archer, frightened, started running away from him but was quickly stuck on a dead-end. Summoning a bow, Ronan fired a single arrow that pierced the man right in the head as he turned to look at Ronan. The man's soul, still intact but still inside the star, unused, entered the only thing it could: Ronan's body.

Ronan could feel the archer's memories flowing in his mind. He was a simple hunter that wouldn't win enough gold to satisfy his needs, and put his archery skills to other uses. But more importantly, Ronan could feel his life force merging with his own. He felt healthier, as if his body was getting younger, or could get much older. He felt his magicka growing slowly, as its flow within him grew bigger. The overall feeling was odd, but extremely invigorating and pleasing. After several seconds, Ronan's condition stabilized, and he took a moment to take hold of his new abilities. Indeed if he was able to add so many memories to his, it was because he could feel that his intellectual capabilities grew. He had access to the man's knowledge very easily, as much as his own. If he could repeat that enough times, Ronan thought, he would be able to gain enough powers to challenge the strongest Daedras. Closing his eyes, he effectively managed to get out of the star without any trouble, and looked at Kharara with a wide smile.

"-Are you alright, Ronan? The star stopped glowing, and I felt scared for you.

-It went perfectly well, Kharara. I suppose the man had stopped breathing, too.

-Yes.

-Well then, it's time to make things bigger."

With the powerful artifact in hands, and faithful warriors following his very orders, Ronan felt divine. All he had to do now was to rebuild Helgen, get more followers and absorb some more souls. When he would be done, he would be sure that nothing could stand in his way anymore.

 **Hey there! Thank you for reading this far. I wanted to let you know guys that I am only planning to write another chapter or two, which would involve describing Ronan's situation several years later, or an old acquaintance visiting him much later. If you would like me to write about his slow progression, or any other point in particular, message me, and I'd be happy to fulfill your request. This may be my very first fanfiction, and I am aware of the flaws in the story or the writing, but I am extremely proud of it, and I would like you guys to be pleased by it as well. Thank you again for reading, and see you next chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15: Growing in Number, in Power

Narrating

'' **Narrating in conversations** ''

Ronan wondered if he would be able to discover the star's full potential while eating in Helgen. Indeed, he needed people to convert to followers and more to absorb life force. His habit of using bandits seemed appropriate, though. None would miss these bandits, so no one would really trace it back to him and Helgen. Thankfully, Skyrim seemed full of wretched men, so he had all the test subjects he could ask for. Already rather young and powerful, he first wanted to gather many followers rather than becoming an immortal lich, for which he had still time. However, he absolutely did not want to waste any time trying to conceal himself from the rest of Skyrim, so he planned to return to the Neugrad Fort to convert the rest of the bandits.

Sylten and Benoor were done gathering all the equipment they could find, and Ronan was pleasantly surprised to see that they had enough provisions to last for at least a week. This did remind Ronan of a future problem he would have to solve: food. He might get all the protection he could want, he still needed to feed his companions, and if four people were easy to satisfy, things could get problematic once Helgen gets full of them. He then told the two to start cleaning out the debris, which would probably take several days. Waiting for night to come, he simply looked at Helgen's situation, to see how much work it would take to fully rebuild it. Except for the building next to where the execution took place, which was half-destroyed, most of the damage was on the houses. Helping Sylten and Benoor, several hours passed until the sun started to come down.

Returning to the Fort with Kharara, he simply told Kharara to remain close to the entrance, waiting for the followers to come. When all things were clear, he took out his stealth equipment, and entered the fortress. The bandits had been searching the archer for the rest of the afternoon, but pronounced her either dead or traitor. Apparently, they hadn't seen Ronan on the wall, which was perfect. There were at least six of them left, which would prove to be a little more than Ronan expected. Deciding that four of them would be more than enough, he waited for them to go to sleep.

It took a little more than an hour for the bandits to enter the fort. There was only one bandit left outside for patrolling, which Ronan would take out first. Waiting several minutes to be sure that the bandits were staying inside and to analyze where the one left patrolled, he closed in on him. He waited for a place where he could conceal the body, and used his will-bending shout. The bandit didn't even have the time to react, and simply stood there, standing up. Ronan told him to lie down and used the spell. He then lied down to and entered the star. Quickly, he replaced the man's memories except for his name, Roggrig, and simply left the usual "obey Ronan" order. When he got out of the star, he told the new follower to join Kharara near the entrance and to wait for him to come back. When Roggrig was out of the fortress, Ronan entered the fort.

Ronan needed to be careful once inside, as there were at least 5 bandits left, and they probably weren't all sleeping. He first scouted the inside to see how many were actually inside and sleeping. Fortunately, it seemed that he had seen all of them outside, and that only one remained awake, reading a book. One of them was sleeping alone, and so Ronan targeted him first. It was an orc, and his heavy Warhammer was right beside his bed. Ronan cast the star's spell, and chose a spot in the room where he would not be seen immediately. Once he was ready, he entered the star.

The orc was here, confused. When he saw Ronan, he instantly charged at him, his fists out. However, Ronan could use his shouts inside the star without a single noise outside, so he bent the orc's will and looked at his memories. Ronan stopped looking at the memories, except for the name, Larek, and immediately started leaving the instructions. Once again, there were simple ones, and Ronan got out of the star as fast as he could. Outside, he made sure that no one was approaching, and when the orc wake up, told him to get his equipment and join Kharara by the fort's entrance. He added that, if asked where he was going, he would simply be checking on the patrols. The orc got up and obeyed. Ronan followed him to the door, and then went back in search for the next follower.

Ronan did not know if the link between the soul and the body could be broken if he went too far with the star, but he didn't really have a choice when it came to convert the bandits that were sleeping in the same room. As silently as possible, he entered the room, and cast the spell on one of the bandits. He waited for the star to glow, and got out of the room. The orc's bedroom was nearby, so he went there to try and make a new follower. He then followed the same ritual as always. However, since he couldn't really talk to the bandit, an Argonian named Sisieth, he waited for him to wake up in the star before giving him the same orders as with Larek. He checked on him and on the bandit that was awake, to make sure she was not suspecting anything yet.

At that point there were only three bandits left inside, with two of them sleeping in different rooms. Ronan knew how to operate from now on. He first converted the other bandit from the previous room, a Nord named Arisif, and told her to simply stay on her bed until he comes back. He then captured the last sleeping bandit's soul, and decided to absorb his life force instead. A Soul Trap spell and a single arrow did the job once more, and the feeling was still delightful for Ronan. Finally, there was only one bandit left in the fort, and Ronan could take care of her without being interfered at all. Far more powerful than her, he simply walked towards her and let her think she could do anything against him. He used his will-bending spell, and she could only obey him. After using his spell once more, he entered the star. She was helpless, powerless, and Ronan killed her in another single arrow. As her life force merged with his body, Ronan could feel his power slowly growing. He was pretty sure he had twice as much magicka flowing through him than before, and he wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon. When all was done, he told Arisif to join Kharara and used his life detecting shout to make sure no one was left in the fort.

Ronan joined Kharara and the others, and told them to go back inside the fort. There, Ronan and Kharara duplicated their instructions and skills to all new followers, before searching the fort for all equipment and provision. With six people, they were able to basically pillage the place, and all went back to Helgen. Now eight in number, they had to use all the beds available. Ronan's next goal would be to rebuild Helgen so that he could potentially host more followers, although he wasn't sure more than eight would serve any purpose for now. Indeed, although all the provisions he had gathered for the past two days could satisfy them for three weeks, he would eventually need a steady source of food nearby.

The next day, Ronan told all but Kharara to stay in Helgen and salvage any debris that could be used to rebuild the town. Meanwhile, Ronan traveled around Falkreath, looking for wood and iron. He did not really want people to recognize him, so both he and Kharara were wearing a mask, even if they looked weird with it. He had some spare iron and other construction materials at his mansion, but used up all the logs he had. He first went straight to the Deadwood Lumber Mill. Bolund was working there, and so Ronan walked up to him.

"-Excuse me, Sir? Could I buy some logs here?

-You a stranger? What would you use it for here?

-Actually, I'd like to restore Helgen, if possible.

-No one's cared about this crumbling excuse of a town except for bandits. That's two reasons for me not to send logs there.

-The bandits have been taken care of, and I've got gold. That should be two good reasons.

-Alright then. How much do you want? And where do you want me to deliver?

-I'll probably need several piles, but I'll come later for more. Right now, twenty logs would be enough, right beside the gate.

-Okay. The delivery should be complete tomorrow. It'll be two hundred coins per log.

-There you go. Can I add a little more, so that I have your discretion? I know you can't exactly conceal the logs, but I'd appreciate if the word of it doesn't reach every single home in the hold. I'd like to carry the constructions as fast as possible, and I don't want to be bothered a bit.

-Obviously I'm not going to say no, but do you intend to keep the town to yourself or…?

-Not exactly. But if only the bandits find it of any worth, surely I can put it to better use."

Ronan had instructed his followers to let anyone carrying logs be, so he simply went to his mansion looking for some more building materials. After making sure that no one was waiting for him inside, he gathered some clay, stone, iron ingots and other crafted materials. He only missed a few to build a full house, but hopefully there was enough to salvage from the ruins in Helgen. If not, Falkreath was only a short walk from the town, which was both an advantage and a disadvantage. If Bolund kept to his words, the residents of the hold wouldn't approach Helgen because of the bandit threat, so for now the situation was stable. Ronan returned to Helgen, where his followers had gathered quite efficiently a lot of stone, wood, and even iron they had found. The sun was starting to settle down, but Ronan wrote down the town's state and plans. One tower had suffered minor damage, and could be easily repaired. The one on the keep was badly damaged, and only had half of its wall left. Ronan didn't need it, so he decided that he would destroy the upper part. There was a hole pierced into one of the town's wall, inside. However, since this wall wasn't particularly useful, and because the followers already cleared out the debris, he decided he would simply make sure that both sides of the hole wouldn't fall apart. Most of the houses were completely burnt, except for the biggest one. The latter only had some walls damaged and holes in the roof, so it could be renovated easily. However, the rest of the houses needed to be cleared completely and built anew. Ronan then planned on renovating the least damaged tower, then the house next to it, as to not render any work useless because of falling rocks. When all had eaten, they went to sleep. The keep was getting crowded, but Helgen was going to be rebuilt soon, and Ronan could then attend to the growth of his own power using the star.


	16. Chapter 16: Attending to the Necessities

Narrating

'' **Narrating in conversations** ''

Ronan woke up. The room was slightly noisy with followers moving direction. He was the last one to wake up, as usual, and they were waiting for him to get breakfast. They were eight now, and so Ronan would have to see into the provision problem within the next week if he wanted to be able to carry his search for power without worrying about anything. After they ate, the eight stepped outside. Their first goal was to renovate the Southern tower. It had a hole on the second floor, and the stairs were damaged as well. They had enough stone from the debris and clay from the mansion to carry out the renovations. First checking at the very top for any damage, they divided into two groups, one for the stair and the other for the wall. They didn't have much space to work, and no one was exactly experienced in building these things. However, simply putting stone and clay together was simple enough for the group to finish the stairs before noon. The hole in the wall was too high to seal it entirely, as they had to wait for the clay to solidify to continue. As he left the tower, Ronan noticed that some logs had arrived already, and so they could start renovating the house. They went to the small pile to get one, when Bolund arrived with another one.

"-Oh, you're here. I saw you people working in that tower when I delivered the first logs. You seem really eager to get the work done. **He looked at Ronan's followers.** Are you sure these aren't bandits?

-No, don't worry. They're the mercenaries I've paid to help me rebuild the town.

-Mercenaries? Wouldn't you get simple workers to do this kind of work?

-Well actually, these ones do both, and even more. They ask for more money, but they provide very good assistance.

-Okay, then. Got fifteen more to go. Good luck."

Thankfully none of the followers talked. The eight grabbed a log and carried it next to the home. It mostly needed some new walls, as none of the structure was harmed. Ronan checked to make sure they weren't weakened by the fire, but it seemed that no flame had reached the pillars. When Ronan was sure that the house was still sturdy and steady, he and the eight started cutting the log and making some iron fittings and nails. The roof's structure had some broken parts, which the group was able to repair. As for the walls, it seemed that they were taking off either by the shaking Alduin caused there or because of the bandits. But since the structure was untouched, it only took three logs to complete the walls. The rest of the damage was only minor damage on the ground at certain places, so Ronan replaced the wood there. They were done by the end of the day, as Bolund delivered the final log.

"-You've restored the house already? You'll be done by the end of the week at this rate. When do you want the next delivery?

-Well next we have to build a whole new house, so I won't need any more logs for the next days. I'll meet you at the Mill when I need more. Thank you for the delivery.

-You're all welcome."

Ronan noticed that Bolund was far too friendly with strangers than he usually was. He thought it probably was because he was rebuilding Helgen, a task no one else in the hold took care of. However, Ronan really didn't want anyone to grow any interest for the town or else it might cause more problems for him. The group went to sleep, satisfied with their work for the day. While eating breakfast the following day, Ronan thought about the food problem. There was only one farm in the hold, so the only source of food here was the wild beasts roaming the dense forests. Obviously Ronan would have to have some followers hunt during the week, but the lack of a steady source of vegetables and such bothered him. Hopefully he could make some kind of farm on his own around Helgen. However he needed time to look into this problem, and he was already busy with rebuilding Helgen. He got up and gave instructions to his followers.

"-Listen, friends. I will have to deal with our food problem before the end of the week, so when we will be building a new house for the next few days, I want all of you to carefully memorize all of the steps, so that you can build another one in the meantime. Understood?

-Yes, Ronan.

-Then I first need to get some more iron, and we're good to go. Kharara, go check if the tower's stairs are sturdy yet."

Although they had enough wood to build another house, they were running low on iron. Ronan walked to Falkreath and talked to Lod. The man was a bit confused at the sorcerer's mask, but was more than happy to sell dozens of iron ingots. When the purchase was complete, Ronan returned to Helgen, and the group started building the house. The foundations and the floor weren't damaged, but the fire burnt all the wood to a crisp. After they cleared it, they started making the house's framing. All the followers were looking at everyone else's work, but the work was still done quickly. They were able to build the house's walls before the end of the day, but it took another one to finish the roof and complete the house. It was shortly after noon when they were done, and the group started to furnish the new home. As the sun started setting down, they contemplated their work. With eight people, they were able to build an entire new house and make it fit to live in just two days. Everyone was pleased, and Ronan could go out and search for solutions about their food problem the next day. He was nervous this morning, thinking about all the things that could happen while he isn't here to oversee his followers.

"-If someone comes to see you , simply ignore them until they go away. And obviously report that to me when I get back.

-Yes, Ronan.

-Oh, and if you're attacked by anything other than humans, you can take care of it before continuing on with the house. Try to avoid any damage, though. If you're attacked by humans, then simply leave the city and stay at my mansion until I get back. Except if they start a fire. Then you should try and extinguish the flames. If it's bandits attacking, try to capture at least three of them.

-Yes, Ronan."

Ronan felt like a mother talking to her son leaving for war. However, he knew that a single dragon attack could waste weeks of work. Still anxious, he left the town and walked up to Falkreath. He knew that he was going to have some followers work as hunter, but wished to know if it was possible to establish a farm. He went to the Corpselight Farm to ask for some advice. He saw Mathies Caerellia, and walked up to him.

"-There aren't many farms around Falkreath.

-You here to buy vegetables? Well sorry, we're out of them. You're right, we're the only farm in this hold, and even though we have less people here than any other hold, we don't have enough for food for everyone.

-Nobody thought of making another farm?

-Being a farmer is tough, and not the most luxurious life. I don't blame anyone for not wanting to live like we do, but it's a problem, yeah.

-What do you need to make a farm?

-Well, not much, really. Most of the soil here in the hold is good for vegetables, at least more than the Rift. You just need water nearby, and you're all set.

-Then maybe I can help. Can you give me some advice about how to tend a farm?

-The thing you'll need the most is time, which I don't really have right now. Maybe a couple of coins would help…

-Would a hundred be enough?

-Absolutely! Let me show you my farm, so that you can make your own.

 **Convincing him was very easy, Ronan noticed. The hold is in a worst shape than he thought. Mathies spent a little more than an hour to show how to make a farm, the tools he might need, and gave him some advice on which plant is easier to farm and how much water do they need a day.**

-And I think that's it. I can't really give you any vegetable or tool, as we don't have enough to sell, but I'm sure if you go up north, where there are plenty of farms, you could ask for one easily.

-Thank you very much.

-Where do you plan on making your farm? Alongside the river?

-I am not sure, but probably. I might come back if I forgot anything, though. Thank you again, and see you another time.

-Goodbye."

Satisfied with all of the information, Ronan walked north and next to Whiterun. There were several farms there, so he had no trouble buying vegetables and some basic tools. However, Ronan still wasn't sure where he could build his farm. Indeed, he didn't want to expose himself by building it on the riverbed, but the closest body of water was the Neugrad Fort Lake, which was surrounded by snow. But with some work, he could probably extend the small patches of earth around it and grow plants there. After all, most vegetables in Skyrim were already accustomed to its cold, so as long as they get water, they should grow just fine. When he returned to Helgen, his followers were almost finished with the house's structure. Ronan still had time before sunset, so he went to the Fort to decide where he would build his farm. There were some spots next to the lake where plants and trees were growing, but there also were some big chunks of rock. However, some axe picking could make enough surface to have a nice garden. However, Ronan wanted to finish the house first, so he helped his followers for the rest of the day. They were halfway done with the walls when they went to bed. The next day, Ronan woke up earlier to finish the house as soon as possible. Fortunately, the group was efficient enough to be done shortly after noon. In a hurry, Ronan told Sylten and Benoor to stay in town while the rest of the group went to the lake. Ronan hadn't planned how he was going to dispose the garden yet, but with several pickaxes, he told his followers to take care of all the rock and even out the height of the surface. They weren't done by the end of the day, but they were progressing fast. Going back the following morning, they managed to clear the rocks and even started planting the different plants he had bought. He watered the garden and returned to Helgen. He would send some followers there to check the plants several times a week.

Days were passing by quickly, but Ronan was sure that he would be able to return to his experiments soon. He was now sending two followers to hunt for some meat, in addition to continuing Helgen's restoration. Ronan had to buy some more logs, with only two houses remaining to build. Bolund was pleasantly surprised to see that the group was steadily progressing. The group was now sleeping in different houses, although there were still some of them sleeping in the Keep. The two remaining houses were done in four days, during which Benoor managed to bring a good amount of meat. Helgen was pretty much restored, but Ronan wasn't exactly free of any problem. Indeed, he felt that the garden they built wouldn't be sufficient for all of them, and also that the residents would cause some problem if they took any interest in his town. However, he was finally able to go back to pillaging bandits and absorbing souls, so he decided that he would deal with these problems when they would eventually come.


	17. Chapter 17: A True Arch-mage

Narrating

Although there were many possibilities as to where Ronan could absorb some souls, he wondered if there was any knowledge that he wanted. Indeed, bandits weren't exactly sages, and so even though they provided great life force, they never held any notable knowledge. To that, he had two solutions. There were many camps of mages around Skyrim that could be considered as bandits, as they experimented on the living for necromancy powers. Perhaps absorbing a mage's soul is completely different from absorbing a common bandit's soul, he thought. The second solution was to go back to the College. Ronan did not wish to convert all the mages there into followers, but the amount of knowledge so many masters were holding was too tempting for Ronan. However, that would mean that Ronan was to leave for an entire day, a thought which already made him anxious. He knew that his followers were powerful enough to withstand any attack, but he feared what could happen if anyone simply walked in on Helgen. After planning his travel route and knowledge extortion method, he finally left the town with Kharara, heading towards Winterhold.

In the notebook Ronan used for anything related to the star, the same one he used for his experiments, he had written down every bandit camp he could think of in case he would need test subjects. On the small list was a fort, Fort Kastav, where there were rumors of Necromancers running experiments on unwary travelers. As it was quite close to the College, he chose to try and make use of the star there before the night would fall. The road was long, but Ronan noticed that his physical abilities had grown since he pillaged Neugrad of all its souls. He hadn't noticed any particular change in strength when renovating Helgen, but he sure knew that he was able to run faster and longer than before. In fact, even Kharara seemed to have trouble catching up, but they were both fast enough to reach the fort before sunset. There wasn't much place to hide, so Kharara simply stayed below the hill while Ronan entered, invisible. There were two mages outside, but they weren't patrolling as efficiently as in a bandit's camp. They simply sat on the same spot for hours, even reading sometimes. Using his life detecting shout as quietly as possible, he was able to find and locate five mages in total. He wasn't sure that all of the necromancers were at the fort at that time, but in this occasion they were all quite far from each other, so he chose not to waste this opportunity. Tracing everyone's movement carefully, he targeted the mage that was deepest into the dungeon, as he seemed to be in the middle of a simple experiment involving soul gems and skeletons.

Ronan had trained his thu'um to be as efficient yet as quiet as possible, especially for the will-bending shout, as it was an essential part of the star's procedures. With several rooms in between the two bandits, Ronan was able to sneak behind the focused necromancer, use his shout, and capture his soul in a matter of seconds. He hauled the body several meters away before making sure he had not be heard. When it was done, he entered the star, and with a single arrow, killed and absorbed the still confused necromancer's soul. His knowledge was of a better quality than of a bandit's, but yet it still lacked in usefulness. His magicka flow, however, expanded greatly, thanks to the trained necromancer's own. Getting out of the star, he saw another necromancer approaching, and reacted quickly. Turning invisible and muffling his steps, he was able to run around the room and around his next victim before it could spot the last one. Once again, everything went too fast for the necromancer, and Ronan was able to absorb his soul very easily. In fact, he was also able to absorb the remaining mages' souls with as much trouble as the last two ones. He was proceeding so fast, he felt like an assassin, efficient and merciless. As he absorbed the final necromancer's soul, he wondered if he could ever run out of magicka because of how strong the flow was growing. Since these souls weren't bringing him much knowledge, he felt his thirst fade away. If he had stolen all these people's remaining lifetime, he already had centuries to live. With hours to spend before nightfall, he and Kharara searched the place for any valuables, and settled for eating.

As powerful as Ronan felt when he entered the College, he knew that on this occasion, he wasn't allowed to make a single mistake. Everyone there knew him quite well, and although he had a clear plan to get the mages to give him their knowledge, the consequences if a single person was to uncover his identity would be disastrous. First entering the Hall of Countenance, he searched the best place to undergo his work. Choosing Faralda first, he cast the star's spell. As usual, the star started glowing, and he hid behind the stairs, in a shady spot. As soon as he entered the star, he used his will-bending shout on the unsuspecting mage. He then simply took a look at her knowledge in destruction, borrowed some of it, and took out the very short memory of her being captured. Acting quickly, he got out of the star, ran to her, still invisible and silent, and gave her soul back. Stepping back, Ronan waited for her to react in any way, but she didn't seem alarmed at all. Successful, Ronan then proceeded to repeat the process for all masters in the quarters. None were able to fight back, and within an hour, Ronan had earned every last piece of knowledge they had. Still not fully satisfied, he decided to do the same in the Hall of Attainment. It took another hour to complete, but Ronan was sure that he had effectively learned everything any mage knew in the College. And without so much as a whisper, he managed to leave the College unseen, unheard, yet now immensely powerful.

He joined Kharara, who was waiting a few hundred meters outside of Winterhold. Excited, he told the Khajiit to step back, so that he could test his new powers. Casting a firestorm, the great flow of magicka in his body resulted in a circle of fire so large that Kharara actually had to run out of it not to get burned himself. If Ronan didn't have the experience the masters had, he had all the magicka he could ever ask for to cast any spell he knew. He went through all the new spells he knew. He could make his skin harder than the strongest stones. He could almost regrow an arm if he wanted to. The master level grasp of magic combined with an incredible pool of magicka even allowed him to use telekinesis to float in the air for dozens of seconds. More than satisfied, he told Kharara that they could go back home and left as fast as they had arrived.

The two companions only arrived in Helgen shortly before dawn, but Ronan wasn't feeling tired at all. He actually sent Kharara to get some rest while he tried out every single spell in the Neugrad Fort, so as not to destroy Helgen. Trying out every single spell, he eventually developed some of them further than what any mage in Winterhold was able to achieve. Progressing fast, he was able to make spells stronger and last longer, as he learned to manage his gigantic pool of magicka. Soon, he was able to lift himself up to the highest tower of the fort without any trouble. However, he could still make himself far more powerful. His knowledge in Enchanting could indeed allow him to control his magicka even better. He ran to his mansion to grab some equipment and returned to Helgen, where his followers were starting to wake up. He asked Larek to perfect his Smithing skills by learning how to use dragon bones and scales for weapons and armor.

Over the course of the next few days, Ronan did nothing but trying out more spells. He managed to easily create new spells with his mastery of every single school of magic: Invisibility runes, bound shield, strength of resistance reinforcements and many more. The combined experience, knowledge, immense magicka and spell making skills allowed him to reach higher levels of magic than he thought possible. He was finally developing his skills without worrying about anything else. There was plenty of food, no one came to Helgen, and he had enough followers to fight off any threat possible.

When his thirst for power died out, as he felt as powerful as he could be, he asked Larek to craft a sturdy yet simple and light armor with the remaining dragon components. He had spent three days working on his spells, and yet the situation at Helgen wasn't exactly stable, so he headed over to the fort. The space available around the lake wasn't exactly small, but there were many chunks of rock lying around it. Using his powerful telekinetic powers, however, Ronan was able to clear it completely. It was fairly easy, and now he had a garden six times the size of a normal one. Using the stones he moved, he was then able to make some kind of a wall around the lake to protect the garden from critters and the likes. The plants from the first garden weren't done growing yet, so he spent the rest of the day buying more vegetables, planting and watering them.

As night arrived, Ronan returned to Helgen. Larek was done with his armor, and handed it over to him. It wasn't as heavy as Ronan thought, considering it was made from dragon bones and scales. Both materials were extremely sturdy, and bones and spikes were added strategically and fashionably on the armor. The helmet concealing Ronan's face imitated the horns of a dragon, so he was very pleased overall. Taking it into the keep, he started enchanting every piece. He had gathered many black gems over time, and the master enchanter's knowledge allowed him to create enchantments as powerful as the strongest ones he had ever seen, and on every piece of armor. Favoring magicka regeneration, the great flow within him felt even greater once he put on the enchanted armor. With Helgen restored, abundant food and unmatchable power, he went to sleep, exhausted from the last couple of days, and wondering what step was going to be next. Although being undefeatable and nearly immortal was pleasing, Ronan felt like he still had to find a purpose to these things. He thought about one of the only times when he actually had a clear one, and it was to return the Nords to the Throne, so that the Thalmor wouldn't invade Skyrim. Ulfric had not started a war against them yet, rather focusing on making Skyrim stronger, but Ronan knew it would only be a matter of time before the two forces would start one. With his extremely competent followers, Ronan wondered if he could actually be able to defeat the Thalmor, or even claim regions as his own. However, his mind slowly drifted to sleep before he could think of bigger dreams.


	18. Chapter 18: The Wise and the Immortal

Narrating

" **Narrating in conversations** "

Ronan was most probably the most powerful sorcerer in Skyrim. After all, he had the skills of every skilled mage in the country. However, there were other skills he couldn't steal from any wizard. He was a dragonborn, but even the soul of a slayed dragon never gave much information to him, although he was pretty sure that these almost immortal beings had a greater knowledge than anyone else in Skyrim. Other than that, the second most powerful beings in Skyrim would probably be the Greybeards, who trained their voices their entire lives. But capturing their souls would be a real challenge: they knew more about the voice than he did, so overpowering them and forcing them into the star would be hard indeed. He saw Miraak forcing dragons into submission with the same shout, so he knew that he would at least try.

Indeed, Ronan had nothing more to do in Helgen. He wasn't even sure what he was going to do with this many followers yet, so he simply left towards High Hrothgar with Kharara. It had been some time since he visited the Greybeards, as they were of no use to him. He certainly wasn't going to stay constantly quiet at the peak of a mountain, praying to uncaring gods. He simply waited for night to come, and entered the Fort invisible, as usual. It was dark inside, and Ronan simply captured the soul of the first sleeping greybeard he found. He couldn't see who it was yet, but he supposed that they all shared the same knowledge and power, so it didn't matter to him. Hiding in one of the long corridors, he sat and entered the star.

The man he had captured was standing in the middle of the star, observing his surroundings. It was Borri, and when he saw Ronan, he simply stared at him. Ronan knew the other greybeards only rarely talk because of the strength of their voices, but since he had effectively resisted their shouts when he returned the horn to them, he supposed that it wouldn't be much of a threat still. Trying to surprise him, Ronan shouted.

"-Gol Hah!

 **The sound's shockwave, however, didn't manage to reach Borri before he reacted.**

-Wuld!

 **The shout from the old man was far louder than Ronan could ever yell. He readied himself for battle, when Borri started speaking.**

-Dovahkiin?

 **Again, this simple word shook Ronan's entire body. That wasn't a shout, he thought. The greybeard was indeed merely talking.**

-Ronan? What are you doing, and what is this perverted shout you just tried to use?

 **Keeping balance was hard for Ronan. The sound of his voice was going right through his body, so he had to make it quick. Going invisible, he ran around him, but Borri was constantly looking at him.**

-I know where you are, Dovahkiin, you cannot hide from my voice.

 **Indeed, Ronan stumbled and fell on the floor as he spoke. Since he wasn't going to win using stealth, he had to use his magic. He raised a hand in the air, lowered the other on the ground, and started lifting Borri up with his telekinesis.**

-Fus Roh Dah!

 **As he expected Borri to struggle, Ronan put up the strongest Ward he could. However, the force of the shout easily shattered through it, and Ronan was sent stumbling a dozen meters across the star. Thankfully he wasn't hurt, but the man's voice combined with his shouts made him exhausted already. As he looked up, Borri started walking towards him.**

-You forced my hand. What is it that you're up t…

 **Borri stood straight up, went rigid, and fell down on the floor. The paralysis rune he cast while using telekinesis had worked perfectly. Not wasting a second, he got up and ran to Borri.**

-Don't worry, it won't belong. Gol Hah!"

Not able to dodge this final shout, Borri's will was now Ronan's. Without a word, Ronan put his hands on his head.

The amount of knowledge he had was incomparable to everything Ronan had seen in any other mind. The amount of knowledge of the dragon's tongue was extremely vast itself, thanks to the man's numerous meditations. Although the power of his voice wasn't a memory, Ronan had access to all information concerning it, in addition to how to make it as strong as his. Amongst the memories was obviously everything a greybeard would have to know, which included many prophecies and rituals. Borri also apparently knew much about dragons, probably because of Paarthurnax. When he was done taking the information he wanted, he erased the memory of them fighting, and came out of the star.

Ronan had feared that the other greybeards could trace him because he used the voice, but he couldn't see anybody around him when he returned. Leaving as fast as he could, he joined Kharara outside and they departed. Ronan was satisfied with the man's knowledge of course, but because of it, he knew that this is only but a fraction of what a real dragon would know. Children of gods, ones with time itself, they might not be powerful, but they surely were all wise. Dragons were only a rare sight now in Skyrim, almost a year after Alduin was defeated, but Ronan decided that absorbing a dragon's soul would be his next goal.

It was only the following day, after a good rest, that Ronan knew how he was going to proceed. The two problems were the lack of dragon and his own ability to naturally absorb dragon souls. Indeed, waiting for a dragon to appear would take months, so the fastest solution would be to use one of the two dragons he knew how to find: Paarthurnax and Odahviing. He didn't really like to betray them like this, but he knew he could simply erase the memories of him when he's done. The second problem would occur when Ronan tries to capture the dragon's soul into the star. Because of Ronan being a dragonborn, there might be a chance that he would absorb the soul instead of it entering the star. However, he knew that being at least a hundred meters from a slayed dragon was too far for the soul to be absorbed by him. Therefore, his followers could simply take care of that. With other minor details set, he left Helgen with two of his followers after teaching Kharara how to cast the star's spell.

To avoid as much suspicion as possible, Ronan climbed the southern mountain and walked a few kilometers east. After choosing somewhere empty and bare of any danger, he lift his head up, and called Odahviing. Instructed, the two followers hid nearby, waiting for Ronan's signal. Within a minute, Ronan heard the dragon calling back. Odahviing came flying over Ronan and landed a dozen meters away from him.

"-Aaaaaah… Dovahkiin… Drem Yol Lok. For what matter did y…

 **Interrupting Odahviing, Ronan used his will bending shout. At this distance, the dragon couldn't even realize what just happened before he was forced to follow Ronan's orders.**

-Stay here, and do not resist any spell cast on you."

The followers were already running towards him. Ronan gave the star to Kharara, and started running as fast as he could, away from the dragon. When he was at a safe distance, he turned back and told Kharara to proceed. He saw a faint purple light, and the dragon collapsed. When Kharara called him, he returned to see the result. The dragon was still breathing, his scales warm and his body moving softly along with his breathing. Kharara gave him the star, which was shining more than it usually did. He sat down, and entered the star. The dragon was waiting patiently, still under his command. Asking him to lower his head on the dragon, Ronan put both hands on it, and tried to visualize the white stripes.

The stripes representing the memories usually formed a small sphere, about as large as the soul's head. However, as soon as Ronan touched Odahviing's head, a hurricane of the same stripes stormed out of it and all around Ronan. They were moving fast, and Ronan couldn't follow any memory. Trying to focus on one, his mind was soon filled with blurred sounds and images. The amount of information was most probably far wider than he imagined, and he wouldn't be able to hold this much. However, he noticed that the stripes closer to his head were going much slower, and he could indeed read some of them. Trying not to be disturbed by the rest of the stripes, he looked at what his recent memories were, but nothing there interested him much. Obviously the dragon's entire life wouldn't be all that interesting, only the things he knew. Ronan concluded that there was nothing much to take here, until he came across recent memories of Odahviing meeting other dragons. He could hear their names, conversations, stories. Thankfully, Ronan was able to find the recent locations of several dragons. Until now, he never really had much trouble with gaining masses of information, as absorbing one's life force allowed him to extend his mind. He deduced that it might eventually be possible to gain every last bit of knowledge a dragon would have if he was to absorb his life force. Still a little bit disappointed, he located the most recent memories, and erased everything since Odahviing heard his call. Getting out of the star, he started running, invisible, along with his followers. One of the dragons he had seen lived close from here, and he intended to carry on his experiment immediately.

He didn't take the time to check if Odahviing was chasing him or not, as the chances of that happening would be lower the further he is from the dragon when he wakes up. The group instead ran towards the next dragon's location, which they reached an hour later, at the Autumnwatch Tower. Ronan had already been there, following the echo of a word. However, when the group arrived, a dragon was indeed perched on the tower. This time, Ronan simply told his followers to follow him and block any attack until he says otherwise. Moving closer to the dragon, the latter finally spotted them and took off. Flying around them, Ronan blocked several flaming attacks using a ward before the dragon landed heavily right next to him. With confidence, he used the will bending shout, and the dragon calmed down. Giving the star to Kharara once again, he ran away from the tower, and came back when the soul was captured.

Although he had seen Miraak absorb a dragon's soul using a shout, Ronan preferred decapitating the creature after he cast his soul trap spell on it. He felt guilty, taking one's life this way, but his mind was soon occupied by very different matters, when the dragon's life force started to merge with his own.

He stumbled and fell right on the floor. He could hardly believe what was entering his mind. He could see Akatosh, the most powerful being in existence. He could see the beginnings of time, and millenniums worth of memories. He could hear so many names, so many places, and so many things. Even when he thought he couldn't bear much more, the memories simply kept flowing in. Conversations, landscapes, civilizations… He was going through ages in what indeed felt like ages. This euphoric state continued for so much time that when Ronan saw the end of it, him running away from the dragon, he immediately collapsed from exhaustion.

Ronan woke up. He took a moment to understand what just happened, and to realize the amount of knowledge he was now holding. It was an astonishing and amazing feeling, as he could remember every last bit of it as if it was completely normal memories to him. He laid down, and started to think about everything he had seen, for being aware of every one of them was a tremendous task. After an hour or so, he realized that he was indeed still in the star, and immediately left it. When he opened his eyes, he couldn't see any sky or snow, but only a roof and a furry face.

"-Ronan! We were all extremely worried about you!

-Are we in Helgen?

-Yes, although you usually returned to your body in a matter of minutes, this time you stayed an entire day without moving. When night first came, we carried you back here. I hope you do not mind.

-Actually, this was the best thing to do. Thank you very much, but I'll stay a little more in bed. You can all carry on with your tasks.

-Thank you too, Ronan."

Closing his eyes, Ronan continued going back to his new memories, getting hold of everything he had just learnt. He went on for so long that he eventually drifted to sleep once more, overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge.


	19. Chapter 19: On a Whole New Scale

Narrating

" **Narrating in conversations** "

Rona truly felt that the next step he just took was an incredible one. He had absorbed several lives before, but he always disregarded these common bandit's memories as useless. However, the life of a Dovah certainly was something else. Children of the most powerful being that ever existed, they roamed this plane of existence since it came to be, living through the ages, which Ronan could finally see. In the memories, Tamriel was very different, including its inhabitants, for there was none until quite recently, on the scale of a dragon's life. He hadn't absorbed the soul of the most powerful dragon, but everything about these beings was almost too incredible for a human to ever imagine. Being able to live for so long, to see the flow of space and time, and enter it for the wisest. The amount of knowledge they had was so great that Ronan still had trouble completely comprehending every last thing. However, he had spent his last two days in a bed, so he got up.

Another incredible feeling got hold of him as he got up, and sensed some changes about his body. Indeed, he had stolen the life force of a nearly immortal being, and could now feel not young nor old, but fully alive and well. It was as if his spirit was out of his body, eternal and untouched by time. As for the power, he simply looked at a goblet, sitting on a table several meters from him, and calmly said the word Fus. He felt the shout coming from the depths of his stomach and come out strong enough to knock the goblet of the table. Not bothering eating anything, he got out and headed over to the Neugrad Fort.

In the middle of the court, he used his telekinesis to maintain a broken barrel several meters above his head. He let go of it, and used the Unrelenting Force shout, making it as strong as he could. The barrel was immediately torn to pieces, but some of them actually flew away fast and beyond Ronan's view. Ronan thought that training his voice would be mandatory in developing the strength of his voice, but the dragon's mere experience and knowledge of the voice allowed him to reach levels surely beyond one of a greybeard. But before moving on to different matters, Ronan wished to try out one more thing.

Amongst the information he got out of the College mages was the particular moment he had with Brelyna Maryon, one of the few students there. She had tried to cast a new spell with the help of Ronan, but ended up turning him into animals instead. While she had not been looking for this effect, and later gave up on it, Ronan managed to find what she had done then. The spell was indeed a bit complicated, but with his spell creating skills, he managed to turn it into an efficient one, one that he could use on his own, and make it wear off whenever he would see fit. The reason why he was now spending time on this spell was because of the dragon's memories. The creature would spend most of its time flying over the lands, and cherished the feeling of freedom it brought to him. Curious, Ronan concentrated on everything he now knew about dragons, and cast the spell. Since he had absorbed the dragon's magicka pool that allowed them to easily breath fire, he effectively transformed into a dragon. The transformation was completed instantly, and Ronan had to take some time to get used to it. The body of a Dovah was obviously very different from a human's, but with the dragon's memories, he had no trouble adapting. After a minute or so, he took off. Moving his gigantic wings accordingly, he spent the next ten minutes flying over the fort, in every direction. If Ronan's grasp of time grew small, so did his grasp of space. Hundreds of meters above the ground, Skyrim felt extremely small to him. After contemplating the view for some time, he returned to the fort and to his human form. His power seemed to be getting closer and closer to that of a Daedric Prince, but he figured that he still had some way to go before governing an entire plane.

Ronan's new aspect of time made him question his next goal, but although the dragon's memories were about not caring about others' business, his human part was telling him to use his powers to spread his influence across the country. Indeed, Ronan deduced that he did not have much more knowledge to gain here on Skyrim, so he would eventually venture out of the country, looking for other ancient beings. However, he wasn't ready to leave Skyrim in the state where it was. The country was on the verge of war, and there were many followers to be made. But since he would need space for his own little army, he thought he would have a chat with Ulfric, to get a hold of the situation and to perhaps make some sort of a deal with him. He spent the rest of the day making sure he had no other matter to worry about, when Sylten called him.

"-Ronan!

 **The call was from afar, so he stepped out of the Keep and walked towards the gate.**

-Ronan, a man has come to see you.

 **Climbing up on the wall, he looked down to see Bolund.**

-Hey, hum, do you know the man that was leading the construction site there?

-That is me, Bolund. What did you come here for?

-Well, it's been more than a week since I heard of you, and you seem to be done with the houses. We've heard some weird noises nearby recently, is everything alright?"

Ronan supposed that he was either getting suspicious of his business here or was eager to tell others that Helgen was restored. Ronan stood there trying to come up with an excuse for more time, but deduced that it would only lead to more excuses. Bolund was the only one aware of his presence in Helgen, and Ronan could change that easily. Going invisible, he jumped from the wall and went behind Bolund. The confused man had barely any time to hear Ronan start his shout that he was at his command. Ronan then went back in Helgen, and captured his soul into the star. He entered it, and started looking at his memories. He took his time to take away any information regarding himself and to arrange them so that they still make complete sense. When he was done, he simply forced him to stay unconscious and placed him somewhere safe near Falkreath. Ronan then let go of him, and watched as he woke up, stood up confused, and returned home. With Bolund out of the way, Ronan and his followers would hopefully be free of any suspicion.

As night fell, Ronan readied himself to go to Windhelm with Kharara. However, the thought of walking all the way there seemed painful, so he asked Kharara to stay in Helgen for once. He stood in the middle of Helgen and transformed into a dragon, in front of his followers. In this form, he found out that he was even able to use some spells, including invisibility. Now a gigantic invisible dragon, he took off and started flying towards Windhelm. The journey was much faster and much more pleasant, with the cold wind blowing between his wings and with the amazing view such a height offered. In less than an hour, he was flying over Windhelm. He landed on the mountain behind the castle, and was amazed that he could manage this trip without exhausting all of his magicka. Still invisible, he made his way into the castle, and found Ulfric on his throne. From what Ronan heard, Skyrim was getting pretty stable, but its relations with other lands were getting worse and worse every day. Waiting for him to join his quarters, he followed the still-not-so-official High King to his bedroom as midnight grew close. Waiting some more for silence and dark to come, he finally started speaking before Ulfric could fall asleep.

"-Ulfric, the true High King.

 **The man stood upright and looked around for the source of the sound. However, Ronan was able to maintain his invisibility while speaking, so he couldn't be found that easily.**

-Who is this? An assassin? A Daedra?

-Calm down. If I was an assassin, you'd obviously be dead already. And Daedras don't care about humans. No, I am completely something else. Tell me, how is Skyrim doing?

 **As he realized that there was no immediate threat, Ulfric answered, his sword still in hand.**

-I just ended a war, but with the desire to start another, outside. But I'm not sure that I can win this one, or that my people will even follow me.

-The Thalmors are a problem for everyone, without a doubt, and their influence is slowly growing. You sent them back to their land, but they'll want to come back, to corrupt this land as they were able to with the Empire.

-And I'm not sure a war would even be enough to deal with them. They're everywhere.

-It would be hard to achieve anything with your army indeed, but I am capable of bringing them down.

-How would you know that?

-I simply do. But since my words won't be enough to convince you, let my actions speak for themselves.

-Do you really intend to take on the Thalmor on your own?

-It would be fairly easy for me to do, without even leaving a trace. But then again, I'd have to do it to convince you. However, if I am speaking to you instead of doing it right away, it is because I am asking for a favor in return.

-You sound more and more like a Daedra to me. I'm listening, but I'm not going to fall for your traps.

-All I ask for is a piece of land large enough to build a city and where no one would come looking for me.

-You want lands? Lands of Skyrim? Now you sound like a Daedra and a Thalmor. Who are you, and what exactly do you want?!

 **This conversation was going pretty badly for Ronan, who decided that it was time for persuasion and threats. He got rid of his invisibility, appearing in front of Ulfric in his dragon armor. The latter immediately lift his Greatsword up, ready to strike Ronan. However, Ronan had gotten too much powerful to be hit by such a pathetic blow. Perfectly still, he summoned a shield and blocked the sword using his telekinesis. Still not moving an inch, Ronan simply levitated Ulfric's Greatsword out of his hand, and on the ground.**

-Can you see, now? I am more powerful than you or any man in this country. I could deal with the Thalmors anytime I want. I could overpower you and your entire army, alone, and replace you as High-king, but I do not want to. What I want is peace in Skyrim. So, do you agree with our terms?

-I still see no reason too.

 **Quietly casting his transformation spell, he borrowed the face of Roggrig, one of his Nord followers, and took off his helmet. Ulfric looked surprised as he started speaking again.**

-I am a Nord, like you. Skyrim is my home as much as yours. I simply want somewhere to settle and be free of any trouble in exchange of the Thalmors' defeat.

 **Ulfric looked at him hesitantly, wondering if this deal was really worth the risk.**

-If you agree to never trouble Skyrim in way, and if you effectively manage to get rid of the Thalmors without forcing me to start a war, then I will grant you enough space for your city.

-Glad to hear that! I agree to your terms. Let's shake hands."

The two men shook hands, before Ronan faded out of Ulfric's view. Now all Ronan had to do was to infiltrate the Thalmors, learn their plans, and to either stop them, or destroy its government from the inside. He returned to Helgen, and started planning everything. With the star, stealing information was the easiest thing in the world, so he would simply have to find the highest ranked members and look into their memories. He wasn't sure how he was going to take care of the members outside of Skyrim yet, but he knew that taking out the ones inside would be fairly easy. Weakening their army would probably be enough to prevent them from influencing anyone anymore.

When he will be done, he would be free to occupy Helgen and to roam Skyrim without worrying about his followers. However it was already past midnight, so he rather opted for a good night sleep.


	20. Chapter 20: Seek & Destroy

Narrating

" **Narrating in conversations** "

Ronan entered the Thalmor Embassy. Although it was still day, he knew that officials would at least keep some documents that could help him track every agent in Skyrim. He had entered the embassy many months ago, but as he was practically unseen, the Thalmor had not moved out of it, and still used it as some sort of base of operations in Skyrim. Surprisingly, its proximity with Solitude didn't seem to bother them or the Stormcloacks, probably due to the fact that Ulfric simply remained in Windhelm. The new High-King seemed to refrain from attacking the base because it might start another war with the Thalmor.

Once again, Ronan was alone, and had no trouble entering the Embassy. His strong stealth spells and his enchanted armor allowed him to roam the buildings without any trouble. Last time he was here, he was looking for a link between the Thalmor and the dragons. However this time any document would help him in finding the agents, so he searched the entire building, in addition to locating the highest officials. Using a notebook, he managed to learn the locations of a few agents within hours. Checking every room for information, he stumbled upon the prison, which was occupied by two people. Hopefully he'd be able to free them before they get killed. When night came, he followed one of the two officials he had found. He took care of the first one the usual way. He captured his soul when he was asleep, and looked at his memories. The second official, however, was none other than Elenwen. Ronan was not aware that she had effectively tortured Ulfric, but he was reminded when he looked at her memories, inside the star. Outraged by everything she committed against Nords in general, he slightly modified his plans for the Embassy. Trying out a new experiment, in addition to her memories, Ronan added himself in them, as a secret god to whom she would completely obey. He was not sure exactly how it would turn out, but with what he was going to do to this place, it wouldn't really matter in the end.

When he had gathered all information available, he got out of the Embassy, and set off to find every agent he knew about. Amongst them were warriors, assassins or informants, some of which weren't even Thalmors. Thanks to his fast traveling, he was able to take them all out before the end of the night. Thankfully most weren't in cities, and the rest of the Thalmor was in the Embassy, sleeping. He then flew back to there, and went straight to Elenwen.

"-Elenwen.

 **The Thalmor immediately woke up, and was shocked to find the mage a meter away from her.**

-I am Ronan. I command you to go to the prison cells immediately without raising suspicion. I will see you there.

-Y-Yes… Ronan…"

The woman then got up and went straight for the prison. Still amazed by the power of the star, Ronan followed her down until they reached the cells. There was only one guard there, who started talking to her, before Ronan appeared behind and paralyzed him. Acting fast, he summoned a sword and cut his throat while he was still on the ground, powerless. Elenwen gasped, but Ronan knew she would act against him, so he simply took the key and opened the two cages that were holding prisoners. One of them, confused by the situation, questioned Ronan.

"-What? But… this is Elenwen! Why isn't she..?

-No matter. Both of you take your equipment and follow me without a word. We're getting out of here."

The prisoners, still confused, grabbed their attire and followed Ronan through the trapdoor leading outside. Another troll was occupying the cave, but Ronan was able to burn it nearly to ashes within seconds, using his unmatched destruction magic. Once they were out, he turned to the rest of the group.

"-Where are you two willing to go?

-I have to return to Riften, before everyone thinks that I'm dead.

-I live in Solitude.

-Do you think you'd be able to get there on your own?

-Without a doubt, yes.

-I should be able to, but surely they would come looking for me again soon…

-Do not worry about them. In an hour, only ash will remain.

-Thank you again, stranger, but don't get yourself killed for nothing.

-Yes, good luck!

 **The two started running, and Ronan was left with Elenwen.**

-You stay here and do not move.

 **As he finished his sentence, he transformed into a dragon before her terrified eyes.**

-Or I will end you."

Now sure that she wasn't going to move an inch from there, he flew upward and in front of the embassy. He charged his unrelenting force shout as much as he could, and sent it towards the quarters. The building shook heavily, barely able to withstand the force of it, and half of it collapsed. Ronan then simply started destroying everything to the ground, killing every single being he could find, and set fire to the rest. After half an hour, the Embassy was but ruins, corpses, and flames. Satisfied, he returned in front of Elenwen, who was now aghast.

"-Get on my back, and most of all do not fall.

-What did you do up there?!

-Do not question my judgment, and obey."

Slowly walking to his neck, she sat down on it and clutched to his spikes. The trip to Windhelm was quite uncomfortable but still rather quick. As to not make a scene, Ronan landed far enough from the city and returned to his human form. The sun was slowly rising as he entered Windhelm, and there were still no one out in the streets. He made his way into the palace and walked to Ulfric's quarters. The man woke up and was startled to see the two together and in front of him.

"-What is she doing here?! And you too?!

-On your knees.

 **Elenwen, now terrified and mortified, fell on her knees before Ulfric.**

-I have eliminated every single Thalmor agent in Skyrim, destroyed the Embassy including every single one of them there, and captured their highest official, which I think you know already.

-You destroyed the Embassy? The Thalmor will start a war as soon as they hear so! What have you done?

-Please calm down. The Embassy has been destroyed as a dragon, so that couldn't be blamed. If I returned to you with Elenwen, it is to ask you how you want the Thalmor to be dealt with. Since there isn't a single one of them left in Skyrim, the rest is going to be in almost every other province. I obviously can't kill them all at once, so I might need your help to take care of the rest. Just tell me what you think I should take care of first and they'll be powerless by the end of the week.

-So you had no plan, eh? The Aldmeri Dominion's army is powerful, and will be heading towards Skyrim, which will be our first problem.

-They would have a hard time doing so, though. If they have to march through Cyrodiil, then I will have plenty of time to stop them from reaching Skyrim. If they use boats, then it will take a long time for them to reach our coasts, if they even make it through Hammerfell's. But since a small fire is enough to take out an entire ship, their fleet won't be a problem either. They might still have a government, but their army cannot reach us yet.

-Then there's nothing I can do. If you still need my opinion, then I think their army should be the first thing you deal with. With a powerless government and a slow fleet, it will be the first thing to reach us.

-Thank you. I will report to you soon. Elenwen is all yours, by the way. She would be useless as a hostage, and the Thalmor will suppose that she died in the dragon attack.

 **Now understanding the situation, Elenwen spoke out.**

-Why do you do this to me? These are our enemies!

-This is judgment.

 **He pinned her on the ground, and tied her hands and feet.**

-See you later, Ulfric."

Thanks to Elenwen's memories, Ronan knew that the Dominion army didn't consist of more than a thousand men, so he should be able to take care of them on his own. Leaving the palace unseen, he started a long trip towards the Summerset Isles. His dragon form allowed him to fly through the entire continent in hours with the speed it provided. Although he had already seen the varied landscapes in the dragon's memories, being able to see it for himself still felt incredible to Ronan. Before noon, he was had been through Hammerfell and arrived at the Summerset Isles' coasts. Reaching Alinor after another hour, he found where the Thalmor was established. The building was beautiful, almost pure white, and extremely tall. It was a typical Altmer castle, with many towers sprouting out of the main structure. Making his way inside, Ronan then spent the rest of the day inside, studying the layout of the castle and the different members of the government that were present. The highest members consisted of a group of a dozen Altmers who would arrange meetings several times a week to make important decisions. This building was for political purposes only, so Ronan had to follow several members back to their houses in the city. At night, he was able to get any information he wanted from two of the highest ranked Thalmor. They didn't know about the Embassy yet, but they clearly had several plans as to how they were going to invade Skyrim. If they had not started a war against Ulfric yet, it is because they were planting forces around the continent and allying others against him secretly. They had ships waiting at High-Rock right next to Skyrim coasts, holding warriors, spies and assassins. Several agents were sent in different countries gathering forces. The rest of their army was still on the island, but the threat they held against Skyrim was already quite great. Since it would take several days for them to know about the Embassy, Ronan spent the night sleeping and left the islands in the morning. Thankfully Hammerfell and Cyrodiil were clearly opposed to them, so their army still wouldn't reach Skyrim easily. Ronan first flew over to High-Rock, in the bay where the ships were stationed.

From the memories, Ronan knew that they had several operatives in High-Rock to take care of the ships and to make sure they remained unseen. The Thalmor knew that the Bretons had no intention or reasons to help them invade Skyrim, so they simply ignored them. Ronan tracked the different agents outside of the ships until night arrived, as to make sure that no one could escape. When all were sleeping except for a few guards, Ronan got rid of his invisibility and started setting fire to the ships. In a matter of minutes, everything was set ablaze, and there were people running everywhere. Taking care of any survivor trying to escape, Ronan took a moment to appreciate the scene. The flames coming from the ships were burning high, and the soft yellow light was soothing in the middle of the night. When there was no more life to take, as the flames started fading away in the dark waters, Ronan left to search for the rest of the agents.

It took him two more days to find and eliminate them, and when he was done, only the army and diplomats remained in the Isles, Elsweyr and Valenwood. However, since it would take them a long time to reach Skyrim, Ronan decided to go back to Helgen to check on his followers. As there was no problem to be found, he took some time to rest and eat properly. When he returned to the Summerset Islands the following day, it was clear that the Thalmor was starting to understand that every man they had posted in Skyrim, High-Rock and Morrowind had died. Ronan managed to join the meeting where the Thalmor decided to send more units towards Skyrim to try and regain contact with Ulfric. Three boats left the island the following morning. One accosted in Valenwood, to assemble troops stationed there and in Elsweyr to try and cross Cyrodiil. The other two ships were going to sail around High-Rock and eventually get to Solitude. During the night, Ronan attacked the two isolated ships the same way, setting fire to every piece of wood and every living thing aboard. When the forces were completely wiped out, he left for Arenthia, in Valenwood, where troops were supposed to be gathered for the trip through Cyrodiil. Since they wanted to anger neither Cyrodiil nor Hammerfell, they wanted to cross the lands unseen, walking along both borders where the mountains would conceal them.

The good thing about this expedition was that since they effectively managed to cross Cyrodiil's borders with a hundred men without being seen, thanks to their allies, no one could know if they were to mysteriously disappear. However, the Dominion's army was already quite weakened, so Ronan though it would be a good idea to destroy the Thalmor's relations with the rest of Tamriel. As the expedition settled near the northern mountains of Cyrodiil for the night, Ronan attacked. However, this time, he only killed the commanders and a good share of the troops. The rest of it, terrified, started running in every direction, without any authority to guide them. Most of them fled to the nearest town, Chorrol, but were only greeted by the city's archers as they came near the heavily fortified walls. Ronan killed the rest of the troops, as to not let them cause too much trouble.

A day later, a Cyrodiil emissary arrived at Alinor. Ronan was surprised yet pleased to see things going so quickly, as the meetings were getting more and more tense. Both sides had no idea what happened, yet the only ones left without an excuse were the Thalmor. The fact that they had troops in the middle of Cyrodiil put them in a bad position, not only with their enemies but also with their allies. Indeed, if they had tried to conceal the expedition, it meant that they were helped by either Valenwood or Elsweyr. As they had already lost hundreds of men simply trying to reach Skyrim, the Thalmor had troubled making decisions, seeing that every one of their attempts failed miserably.

However that meant that it would take some time for them to actually act, and Ronan was not going to waste any more time here. He was the most powerful being in these lands, and he was going to be feared as a god. The members of the meeting had no idea what had happened to their troops, and so did they not realize that the threat was much closer than they thought. Ronan was here to prevent the Thalmor from invading other lands and thinking so high of themselves. After locating every single one of them, Ronan entered their houses at night, and started judging them. Using the star to go over their memories and personalities, he decided whether the Altmer was to live or to die. The first one was convinced that his race was the most powerful one, so he had to prove him wrong. He absorbed his unsavory soul, and went for the next one. Going through the twelve members, only one remained. This particular member was not part of this group for his hate of Talos, or his extremist thoughts, but for gold and power only. Ronan thought it might be a good idea to try and let him have the power, with a few new memories in his mind. Indeed, Ronan had told him that he would stay rich and powerful, would he act in a better and kinder way than the other ones. Persisting on the fact that he would be watching him, he left the Summerset Isles once and for all, his business being done. The Thalmor were no more, and Skyrim was free to restore the cult of Talos.

After having some rest at Helgen, Ronan entered Ulfric's quarters at night to tell him the good news. The High-King woke up startled, as usual.

"-I wished you'd just stop coming in here like it's your house. Are you done yet?

-Every last agent outside of the Summerset Isles has been eliminated, and the group that called itself the Thalmor has been destroyed. There is only one of them left, but I made sure he understands that I'll be watching him. Plus, the population might well kill him before I do, which would solve the problem either way.

-How can I know that this is true?

-You should send an emissary to get a hold of what's going to happen in the next few days down there. I'll meet you again in a week, when all will be confirmed.

-I hope these aren't lies. Fine. If you really managed to bring down the Thalmor this much, then I'll do my end of the bargain."

Ronan returned to Helgen. The influence he had on Tamriel made him feel even more powerful than usual. However, doing everything on his own had been tiring, so he was most probably going to spend the next week in Helgen, relaxing. Going to bed, he thought about what he would do when he will own Helgen. Building city as big as Windhelm to hold his many followers was definitely a tempting idea. Perhaps in the future he would have an entire region to call his own.


	21. Chapter 21: Close Horizons

Narrating

" **Narrating in conversations** "

Ronan had still many things to learn, and he knew that. Thankfully, he also knew how to know these things. Dragons were certainly wise, but they weren't really skilled in Dwarven engineering. Their magic is strong, yet they wouldn't seek other forms of it. Therefore, there were a few more people that interested Ronan. From the memories he gained, he now knew of several beings in Morrowind that possessed millenniums worth of knowledge.

Since he had time to spend before the news of the Thalmor's destruction reached Skyrim, he set off the day following his arrival. He had no trouble finding the location of his two targets. The first one was Divayth Fyr, a Dunmer that is said to be immortal, immensely wise and powerful. Although Morrowind had been devastated by the eruption of Red Mountain, Ronan heard that he had managed to protect himself and now lived in a tower surrounded by ashes, in the middle of the land. Traveling there, he could indeed spot the tower and the magic shield surrounding it from afar. The shield was partially blackened by the numerous waves of dark smoke hitting it. As usual, Ronan entered the shield invisible, and waited for night to come, tracking down his next source of knowledge.

From what he saw, Divayth may have looked like a normal man, but probably was as powerful as him. He had indeed created a gigantic shield to protect his tower and the dozens of people that lived directly under it, fighting a particular disease. Amongst these patients was another person that interested Ronan. Yagrum Bagarn, the last Dwemer, was being taken care of by Divayth. Smiling at the opportunity and that the amount of knowledge he was about to steal, he started with Divayth as the Dunmer fell asleep.

Thankfully, the element of surprise allowed Ronan to follow the exact same steps, as he was able to use his shout on him inside the star before he could figure out what was happening. With the dragon's experience, the strength of his shout was already far too much for anyone to resist, and Ronan had easy access to four thousand years of research. Diving in his mind, Ronan was pleasantly surprised to see that in addition to an incredible grasp of magic and many new sorceries, he was also able to learn how to travel between planes, in addition of great knowledge about each of them. He wasn't very surprised to see memories of the first eras, since he had seen all of them through the dragon's eyes, but the society appeared to have been very different back then. After he was done, he got out of the star and left in search for his second target.

He found the last of the Dwemer far below the tower, surrounded by several infected people. Trying not to get too close to anyone, he effectively used the star on a sleeping Yagrum Bagarn and managed to read his memories. The amount of knowledge the Chief Architect had was almost too much for him to bear, but he managed to claim every last bit of information as his. The Dwemer machineries were definitely as complicated as every researcher thought, but with Bagarn's skills, he was able to comprehend it all. However, it seemed than even he didn't know what happened to his race. His mind almost full, Ronan left the caves and then Morrowind, going back to Helgen.

It took several days for the events following the Third Aldmeri Dominion's downfall to reach Skyrim, during which Ronan took care of minor issues around the town or simply wandered in the ocean of memories he collected. When he supposed it was time to have a chat with Ulfric, he left for Windhelm, arriving at the castle in the middle of the night. He went right for Ulfric's room, and woke the High-king up.

"-Tell me, how is the Thalmor doing?

-You're here. I expected to hear about important members of the government being killed, but there were more words of genocides across Tamriel than anything else. Almost no Thalmor left anywhere except for their home, which is apparently chaotic right now. I honestly thought that you were bluffing for a while, but you sure weren't lying at all. I'm… not sure how to feel about this situation, but it is definitely better for the future of Skyrim. I suppose I'll have to fulfill my end of the bargain. I hope you're aware that I won't be able to give you a hold, or even a town. Was there a place in particular that you wanted?

-Indeed. The town called Helgen has been destroyed long ago, but this is no problem for me. I'd like to have the area from there to the Neugrad Fort. If you make sure that your army or any guard doesn't attack the city, I'll be more than satisfied.

-Helgen brings back many memories to me, and I had planned to restore it but couldn't because of the war. But since I almost died there, I wouldn't mind never seeing it again. I'll do my best to prevent anyone from getting too close to the area However, I have to be sure that I'm not giving an enemy a base next to the heart of Skyrim.

-I just destroyed the Third Aldmeri Dominion on my own. Trust me, if I had any intention of getting the throne for myself, you'd already be long dead. I already have more power than an entire province, so you're rather getting yourself the perfect ally. Good ruling!"

And with that Ronan had an entire city for him and his warriors alone. It would take some time to build one, but then he would finally be completely isolated, free to do whatever he wished to do without being bothered in the slightest.

Ronan had a few goals ahead of him: with Fyr's knowledge, he could easily travel between planes, and therefore encounter much more powerful beings, such as Daedric Princes. However, if a Greybeard or a four-thousand years old mage were almost as powerful as he was, it meant that he still had a long way to go with power. He was going to settle in his own city and grow strong enough to defeat any being. Therefore the next weeks were spent working on building a city; which would prove to be almost out of reach, even for Ronan. He spent the first couple of days finding every architect in Skyrim since books wouldn't be enough this time. He also looked for others skills such as those of a lumberjack, so that he wouldn't need to involve anyone else this time. With all the resources nearby and his unmatched telekinetic powers, he built a wall that surrounded Helgen and the Fort, and evened the space between the two locations. He had about the tenth of an acre, which was more than he needed at that moment, but he knew that if he was going to storm into other planes, he would need more than ten people. He was done clearing the area and building the wall within a few days, and started planning his next course of actions. He wanted to absorb many more powerful souls and to get more followers before going on another plane.

He still knew the location of several other dragons thanks to Odahviing, and so he left to collect their souls. The closest one was in the mountains between Skyrim and High Rock. The flight was quick, and Ronan was even able to sneak behind the Dovah and strike him with his shout before the latter could react. Commanding the dragon to stay next to the star, he cast the star's spell from a distance, and the dragon collapsed. He entered the star, and absorbed the dragon's soul. This time it didn't take long for him to recover, only about an hour, as the memories of the Dovah resembled the ones of the first dragon soul he had absorbed. However, he could still feel the power of the beast merge with his, as his entire being felt much stronger. Ronan had absorbed the knowledge of many dragons before he got hold of the star, but capturing one's life force and memories was truly different. At this point, Ronan's voice was powerful enough to locate the remaining dragons using his shouts.

Although he repeated the exact same process for three additional dragons, he still felt the difference in his power after absorbing their souls. He had not spoken at all since he departed from Helgen, but he could feel that he could take down a tree if he were to simply talk. Thankfully he knew of a spell that could speak for him instead. He came back to Helgen to rest before leaving again for new followers.

There was a small bandit camp to the North of Falkreath, but Ronan did not bother to wait for night to come. There were two bandits outside and two inside of the mine. For the first bandit, Ronan walked next to the Argonian, and paralyzed her as the other one looked the other way. Picking her up, he got somewhere safe and turned her into a follower. He then used telekinesis to bring the second bandit and used the star. Once inside, he simply used his shout to get the two bandits' wills at the same time, and for a good while. When he was done, he looted the camp for food and equipment, gave each some load, and escorted them to Helgen. Once there, he asked Kharara to repeat the process he used on the others. Ronan noticed that the few houses he had were almost full already, and so he would have to build new ones soon. However, he knew that it would be easy, and that once he would be ready to enter a new plane, nothing could stop him and his own little army.


	22. Prologue Chapter 22 (and maybe End?)

Narrating

" **Narrating in conversations** "

It had been over a month since Ronan had started building his new city. He had chased down the souls of many dragons, and pillaged the numerous camps of bandits across Skyrim. Slowly he had built his own army and its fortress, and Helgen was now a complete fortress, which housed over forty fully-trained companions. This meant that it was time for Ronan to reach for other planes, as there was no more power to be gained from Tamriel. With Fyr's knowledge and his unmatched powers, he had no doubt that he could overpower any Daedric Prince easily.

Still, he didn't have much of a plan, for as far as Fyr's knowledge of Daedras goes, their Princes still kept to their realms. Fyr never met one face to face, so there was still much to be discovered about them. Still, he knew of a certain Prince that was weakened enough to make an ideal first target. Indeed, Ronan knew that the talking dog he met several months ago was actually half of Clavicus Vile's power. With how weakened the latter seemed without it, he knew Vile would be easy to fight against.

The day he felt ready, he assembled most of his companions on the portal he created in the center of Helgen, and which could warp the entirety of his little army to any plane he knew. His army was properly equipped, and Ronan clenched to the star as he activated the portal. Purple fumes started enveloping them, and they were gone from the face of Tamriel.

 **Hello there! This is a rather awkward update. Indeed, I had this text written two months ago, but never managed to make it a whole chapter. As much as I love this story, I have to admit that I accomplished the few goals that I had with it. I never knew that I would get to the part where Ronan has to ascend to the nine divines, and I am afraid that I am not versed enough with the Elder Scroll's lore to have a clear idea as to how it will all happen. It doesn't mean that I'm not going to try, but I want to make sure I don't stop writing without actually telling you guys. I never expected to have over 2000 views, and I am thankful for all the support that followed. I will try to continue for the few of you that are still there, and I wish you a great day.**

 **See you (hopefully) for Chapter 22!**


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